1. Current situation and challenges in organic waste management

1.1 General situation

According to the ASEAN State of Environment Report 2023, ASEAN is one of the regions that generates the most municipal solid waste (MSW) in the world. In 2016, ASEAN countries produced about 143 million tons of waste. By 2030, this number is expected to increase by 31%. Indonesia is the largest generator of waste, followed by Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.

In many of these countries, organic waste makes up more than half of the total waste. This causes serious problems, from bad odors to reducing the recycling value of other materials.

To deal with this, many ASEAN countries have introduced national strategies to find new ways of waste management. Besides reducing waste at the source through better sorting, green solutions that turn waste into resources are now receiving strong attention from both governments and the private sector.

1.2 Challenges in organic waste treatment

On average, organic waste accounts for 30–70% of total waste in these countries. However, traditional treatment methods still have many limits:

• Landfilling releases methane (CH₄) and pollutes soil and groundwater.
• Incineration reduces waste volume quickly but consumes high energy and produces toxic dioxins.
• Composting takes weeks, often causes bad odors, and depends heavily on waste sorting quality at the source.
• Anaerobic Digestion (AD) can produce biogas but is complex to operate, sensitive to input materials, and requires high investment costs.

At the same time, businesses in the region face growing pressure from carbon costs and ESG standards. According to LiveMint, 75-85% of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Asia see ESG as a top priority, but only 37% have a clear roadmap to achieve it. This shows a big gap between expectations and real action: many businesses want green solutions, but they worry about investment costs, operating efficiency, and lack of clear proof.

The combination of old technology limits, ESG and carbon pressure and low trust in new technologies is creating a major barrier in organic waste management in ASEAN. This is why the market needs advanced solutions: fast, clean, energy-saving, and proven effective to build trust with both businesses and governments.

2. Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization – A new future of organic waste treatment

2.1 What is Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC)?

Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization is a thermochemical process to treat wet biomass such as organic waste, agricultural residues, or sludge. The process happens at high temperature (180-280°C) and high pressure, with water in a hot compressed state as the main reaction medium. After the process, the main product is a carbon-rich solid that is hydrophobic, easy to grind, and has an energy value similar to lignite.

2.2 How does Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization work?

The Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization process has 4 main steps:

• Step 1 – Feeding the system

Wet organic waste (food waste, farm residues, sludge, etc.) is put directly into the reactor for crushing, with no need for drying.

• Step 2 – Hydrothermal reaction

The material is treated in water at 180–250°C under high pressure. Hydrolysis, dehydration, and decarboxylation reactions occur.

• Step 3 – Hybrid enhancement

Additional steps (catalysis or mild oxidation) shorten the treatment time to about 3 hours, remove odors, and improve product quality.

• Step 4 – Collecting outputs

• • Biochar: carbon-rich, can replace coal or be used as fertilizer.
  • CO₂ gas: lower environmental impact, can be captured for further use.
  • Organic liquid: can be used to produce biogas or ethanol.

2.3 What are the key features of Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization?

To solve the problem of organic waste, many new technologies have been studied and applied. Among them, HTC is seen as an important step forward thanks to its ability to treat waste fast, clean, and with added value. Below are its main features:

• Fast treatment time: Unlike traditional methods that take days or even months, HTC can finish the full process in about 3 hours. This helps cities and businesses handle large amounts of daily organic waste quickly, reducing storage problems and pollution.
• No bad odor: HTC operates in a closed system, which completely blocks odors. It also reduces greenhouse gases like methane (CH₄) and ammonia (NH₃), helping to cut the carbon footprint and meet ESG standards.
• Energy saving: Thanks to heat recovery, HTC can save up to 70% of operating energy. This makes it more cost-effective and sustainable for both businesses and waste managers.
• Valuable outputs: HTC converts organic waste into useful products. Biocoal, biochar, and bio-cokes can replace coal in industry. Organic fertilizer helps improve soil and store carbon. The liquid by-product can be used to produce biogas. This is a clear example of “turning waste into resources,” in line with the circular economy.

3. Real results of Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization

A strong example of HTC’s effectiveness is the International Joint Project for Cassava Waste Treatment in Thailand. The project, carried out by a technology company from Mekonglink, targeted one of the country’s largest agricultural waste sources.

According to Chulalongkorn University, cassava is a key crop in Thailand, producing 30 million tons in 2021. Each year, at least 12 million tons of cassava waste must be managed properly, including sludge that can harm the environment if untreated.

In this project, Hybrid HTC was applied to process cassava residues. The results showed:

• Processing time reduced: from weeks to only ~3 hours, suitable for industrial scale.
• Odor and emissions are nearly eliminated: the closed process prevents the release of CH₄ or H₂S.
• High conversion efficiency: most of the cassava waste was transformed into biochar and organic liquid, cutting down the amount of waste for landfilling.

4. Comparing Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization with traditional processing methods

5. Prospects for the Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization application in ASEAN

As ASEAN faces strong pressure from urbanization, population growth, and sustainability demands, HTC stands out as a technology with wide potential use.

5.1 Organic waste as a major share

In most ASEAN countries, organic waste accounts for 30–70% of total municipal solid waste (MSW). This shows that organic waste is the heaviest burden on city waste systems. Today, most of this waste is still treated by landfilling, composting, or incineration – methods that bring many environmental problems.

In this context, Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization is outstanding thanks to several strong advantages:

• Treats wet and mixed organic waste directly, without strict sorting at the source. This is very important because waste-sorting infrastructure is still limited in many ASEAN countries.
• Shortens treatment time to just 3 hours, much faster than composting or anaerobic digestion (20–40 days).
• Operates in a closed system, removing odors and reducing greenhouse gases, helping protect urban air and living conditions.
• Uses heat recovery to save up to 70% of operating energy, reducing long-term costs for both businesses and city governments.

With these features, HTC can be applied directly in big ASEAN cities, where landfills are overloaded and waste management pressure is rising. It is a practical, fast, and sustainable solution for the region.

5.2 Opportunities with ESG and Net Zero policies

According to Energy Asia, 9 out of 11 ASEAN countries have already set Net Zero targets for 2050-2065. This makes ASEAN one of the regions with the strongest climate commitments.

HTC helps cut methane emissions from landfills – a greenhouse gas 28 times stronger than CO₂. This is clear evidence for governments to include HTC in their carbon reduction strategies and to attract green finance and climate funds.

5.3 Potential of biochar products

Biochar is one of the main products from the HTC process. According to Illuminem, as the world focuses on reducing greenhouse gases, biochar is gaining attention as a “negative emission” technology. Studies show that biochar can help reduce up to 1.2 billion tons of CO₂ emissions. In addition, it locks carbon in the soil, which greatly lowers greenhouse gas release. For ASEAN, this makes biochar a cost-effective and diverse solution for environmental concerns.

5.4 New opportunities for Research and Development

Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization not only provides a direct answer to organic waste management but also opens new opportunities for future research and development. Instead of seeing HTC only as a waste treatment method, international studies show it can become a platform for many high-value green applications.

• Renewable energy from liquid by-product: Besides biochar, the liquid left after HTC has high organic content. A 2024 PMC report shows this liquid can be converted into biogas through anaerobic digestion (AD). This gives double benefits: waste treatment and new renewable energy for the green grid.
• New technologies for higher efficiency: Research published in Energies (2024) highlights that Co-HTC (co-hydrothermal carbonization) and MWHTC (microwave-assisted HTC) can improve biochar yield, save energy, and enhance product quality. These are promising R&D directions for industrial-scale applications.

However, when scaling up from lab to industry, Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization still faces challenges. Reactor design, optimal operation conditions, and especially wastewater treatment after Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization need further study. At the same time, high investment and operating costs remain barriers, which must be addressed through feasible economic models.

Overall, Hybrid Hydrothermal Carbonization is not only a solution for organic waste but also a driver for green economic growth in ASEAN. With its ability to cut methane emissions, save energy, and produce biochar, organic fertilizer, and biogas, HTC is a promising technology to support Net Zero commitments. In a region where organic waste makes up 70% of municipal waste, HTC offers an effective and sustainable answer.

Are you a business, investor, or organization interested in green technology? Join Mekonglink in developing HTC projects to capture circular economy opportunities and create lasting value for the community today!

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