Scope of Carbon Trade in Sago Industry

Tapioca sago manufacturing is one of the chief food industries in the southeast Asia. The starch/sago industry is an agrobased seasonal industry using tapioca ischolar_mains/tubers as the basic raw material. The process of production of sago and starch from tapioca is water intensive. The waste from sago factories contains both water effluent and solid wastes. Cyanide concentration in the effluent is at alarming level, which requires an urgent attention for its removal. From the effluent of the sago industry many by-products such as methane, ethanol and alcohol can be produced. The methane gas generated and accumulated from sago effluent is being used by the industry for thermal and electrical applications. Global warming potential (GWP) of methane (CH₄) is very high which is 21 times that of carbon dioxide. Accordingly, methane recovery from sago effluent serves good both in terms of reduction in power consumption sourced from fossil fuels and reduction in global warming potential. At this outset, this paper is aimed to explore the prospects of clean development mechanism in the matter of sago production.