Environment ministry opens waste-to-energy conference in Pohang

South Korea's environment ministry said Wednesday that the National Institute of Environmental Research will host the 12th International Conference on Combustion, Incineration/Pyrolysis, Emission and Climate Change in Pohang from Oct. 14 to 16, drawing about 500 experts and industry officials from 10 countries.

The conference, held jointly with the Korea Energy and Climate Environment Council, will take up sustainable energy and environmental management for carbon neutrality, with a focus on artificial intelligence.

A forum on Oct. 14 will be devoted to energy-recovery technology for combustible and organic waste and to carbon-neutral responses, while the main sessions on Oct. 15 and 16 will look at combining energy and material recovery from waste resources with environmental safety. Park Jung-min, head of the institute's environmental resources research division, said the transition requires more than better disposal. "Tackling the climate crisis and achieving carbon neutrality demand technological innovation that goes beyond simple waste disposal to convert waste into high-value energy," he said. "We will use this international conference as an opportunity to further solidify international cooperation and do our utmost so that Korea can establish itself as a leading country in the waste-to-energy field," Park added.

The conference follows two domestic policy changes that took effect on Jan. 1: a ban on the direct landfilling of household waste in the Seoul metropolitan area, and an expansion of the biogas production target system for organic waste such as sewage sludge, food waste, human excreta and livestock manure to the private sector. The institute said it plans to continue research comparing waste-to-energy technologies and systems in major countries and to build the scientific basis for stable waste treatment and expanded energy and resource recovery.