Yuanping county in Shanxi province started a pilot project for China's first national-level large-scale biological natural gas operation on Dec 15.

Adopting leading pretreatment technologies and an anaerobic fermentation system for raw materials from Germany, the project can recycle and efficiently utilize agricultural waste.

For instance, around 6,660 to 13,333 hectares of straw, or 100,000 to 150,000 tons of waste poultry and livestock can produce biological natural gas and gas fertilizer each year totaling 14 million cubic meters and 6 million cubic meters respectively, more than 30,000 tons of efficient solid organic fertilizer and over 10,000 tons of liquid organic fertilizer through the project.

The project, with a total investment of 114 million yuan ($17.30 million), will be undertaken by Shanxi Shenmu New Energy, a subsidiary of Shanxi Energy Industries Group and is expected to start operations in October 2018.

It's the third demonstration project led by Shanxi Energy Industries Group in the clean energy area as the company has been developing emerging industries like the clean energy sector and advancing industrial upgrading over the past few years. The project will set a good example in the field of ecofriendly treatment and utilization of agricultural waste.