Bangladesh backs pilot to turn waste into fuel oil

Bangladesh’s government has pledged support for a Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) project seeking to turn human waste and agricultural residue into fuel oil.

Lead researcher Md Khalekuzzaman told prime minister Tarique Rahman that nearly 10 years of work using hydrothermal liquefaction had produced biocrude at 50% to 55% conversion efficiency in laboratory trials. Researchers also reported producing a diesel-rich variant.

The team plans a pilot plant processing one to three metric tons of waste daily. Its estimated cost is Tk100 crore to Tk120 crore (approximately $8.12 million to $9.74 million).

Researchers said commercial production could eventually replace 10% to 15% of imported crude oil and save Tk6,500 crore to Tk13,000 crore (approximately $528 million to $1.06 billion) annually. They cautioned that those benefits depend on successful large-scale performance and market competitiveness.