South Korea Invests $20 Million to Turn Cattle Manure into Domestic Solid Fuel

27

South Korea has launched a 29.8 billion won ($20.4 million) multi-year program to convert cattle manure into solid biomass fuel, a move designed to curb water pollution, expand renewable energy output, and cut dependence on imported wood pellets and chips.

The initiative, running from 2026 through 2029, brings together the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment in response to a growing manure surplus.

As farmland shrinks, the country now produces more livestock waste than its agricultural sector can absorb, and excess nutrients from compost have increasingly leached into rivers, fueling algal blooms.

Officials describe cattle manure as an underutilised biomass resource that can strengthen energy security while creating value from waste. The funding will support three technology development projects. MAFRA will focus on commercialising solid fuel technologies, including standardised feedstock collection, traceability, quality control, low-energy drying systems, and IoT-based smart production, aiming to produce fuel suitable for agricultural boilers.

MCEE will develop production and utilisation technologies for biomass solid fuel, target a high-calorific-value output exceeding 3,500 kcal/kg at a rate of 15 tonnes per day, and demonstrate the fuel in a 330 MW commercial power plant and a 4 MW combined heat and power facility. The ministry will also advance pollution-prevention technologies to reduce emissions, recover ammonia, and treat wastewater.

Director general Kim Go-eung of the MCEE stressed that livestock manure treatment requires a fundamental transformation in response to social and environmental changes, while MAFRA’s Lee Jae-sik noted that the integrated R&D effort, covering everything from on-farm collection to low-energy fuel production, will help create a circular biomass ecosystem that works in real farming conditions.

We are excited to share with you

This FREE E-Book of 50 Agritech Pioneers & Their Game Changing Innovations.

Download the Ebook now 

EmailEnter your email address

Download 50 Agritech Founders Ebook

Both ministries pledged close support to ensure the country does not miss what they call a golden opportunity to establish a solid fuel ecosystem from livestock manure.