GS Construction Begins Development of Bioethanol Using Tropical Crop Waste

On August 29, in Bangkok, Thailand, at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding for 'Next-Generation Bioethanol Technology Development Cooperation,' Huh Yoonhong, Head of New Business Division at GS Engineering & Construction (left), Patrick Pitkanen, CEO of St1 Renewable Energy (Thailand) Ltd (center), and Antti Aromaki, Co-CEO of St1 (right), are posing for a commemorative photo. (Provided by GS Engineering & Construction)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] GS Engineering & Construction is partnering with a Finnish bioenergy company to develop next-generation bioethanol using tropical crop waste in Thailand.

GS Engineering & Construction announced on the 31st that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for 'Next-Generation Bioethanol Technology Development Cooperation' with Finland's St1 Renewable Energy (Thailand) in Bangkok, Thailand on the 29th. The event was attended by Heo Yunhong, Head of New Business Division at GS Engineering & Construction, and Patrick Pitkanen, CEO of St1.

Through this MOU, the two companies will promote a bioethanol production project using waste from cassava, a tropical food crop. Currently, cassava pulp, a byproduct generated during cassava processing, is classified as unused waste and mostly discarded.

St1 Renewable Energy is a renewable energy subsidiary of St1 Oy, a Finnish energy company. It possesses technology to produce bioethanol using cassava pulp as raw material. GS Engineering & Construction has carried out numerous projects in Thailand over the past 20 years.

This project is particularly noteworthy because it produces bioenergy using waste from food crops. Existing bioethanol raw materials such as corn, sugarcane, wheat, and cassava utilize food resources, raising food shortage concerns, so this is a production method that can serve as an alternative.

Heo Yunhong, Head of New Business Division at GS Engineering & Construction, said, "The cooperation between the two companies is expected to be a starting signal for the next-generation bioethanol production business using unused waste," adding, "We will continue efforts to become a leading sustainable management company in Korea by discovering new business opportunities based on eco-friendly digital technologies in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.