BIG to freeze fruit with nitrogen
PTT partnership to locate centre in EEC
Bangkok Industrial Gas Co (BIG), Thailand’s largest industrial gas producer, has teamed up with national oil and gas conglomerate PTT Plc to develop a frozen fruit centre in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) that will use liquefied nitrogen.
The company’s plan is part of the government’s Eastern Fruit Corridor (EFC) scheme, a part of the EEC project.
“The frozen fruit centre will use chilling technology for the processed food industry,” said Piyabut Charuphen, managing director of BIG.
“The government has high hopes that eastern Thailand can become a fruit plantation centre.”
He said PTT had planned to use chilled waste water from the gasification process at its receiving terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Map Ta Phut, Rayong, but the plan was not feasible.
BIG has supplied gas to PTT for several decades.
“Liquefied nitrogen is more viable than LNG, so a partnership is being formed,” said Mr Piyabut.
The first site under the EFC scheme is expected to develop in the Smart Park Industrial Estate in Rayong on 10 rai, with an initial investment of 10-100 million baht.
The EFC model aims to promote local fruits along with frozen products. The government is expected to disclose soon further details on the EFC.
Mr Piyabut said although using nitrogen gas for the chilling process costs 20% more than a chilling room, the process can add more value to frozen fruit products for premium buyers.
“Liquefied nitrogen can be blended into products during the chilling process, which is edible and does not dehydrate the fruit,” he said.
“This process does not harm the quality of fresh food when it is warmed up.”
Chilling seafood with nitrogen gas used to be popular among local exporters for more than a decade, but the early mortality syndrome that plagued Thai shrimp during 2012-13 led to a collapse among operators.
Mr Piyabut said BIG has teamed up with several sport clubs to conduct a feasibility study for bone and joint pain relief therapy using liquefied nitrogen gas.
“Nitrogen can cool to relieve pain and speed up recovery from injury,” he said. “The first stage of pain relief is expected to be a social enterprise concept.”
BIG announced last month it is setting aside almost 4 billion baht for capacity expansion in the domestic market and a new gas separation plant in Myanmar.
This budget marks a new record in terms of capital expenditure since the company’s establishment in 1987. BIG aims to spend the budget from 2018-20.
The capacity expansion will bring gas production to 2.1 million tonnes per year from 1.5 million tonnes now.
BIG had revenue growth of 4% over the last several years, with utilisation rising to 80% from 60% in the past.
Most of the spending is allocated to EEC locations to form an industrial cluster meant to supply the gas.
Some 800 million baht was budgeted to build a new gas production plant in Myanmar’s Thilawa special economic zone with a capacity of 40,000 tonnes per year.
This project is a joint venture between BIG and a local company, with ownership split 65:35, respectively. The plant is scheduled to start operating in 2020.
BIG produces argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.