SK Ecoplant to supply AI-based incinerator tech to Malaysia

South Korea's energy, construction and engineering corporation SK Ecoplant on Friday said it signed a contract with Cenviro, Malaysia's largest public integrated waste management company, to supply an artificial intelligence (AI) solution to optimize incinerator operations.

Under the deal, the technology will be applied at a Cenviro-owned incineration facility in Seremban with a daily capacity of 100 tons. SK Ecoplant in May last year acquired a 30% stake in the Malaysian company.

SK Ecoplant will complete application of the solution by year's end.

The solution is a system that guides incinerator operators on the optimal time for waste input to maximize operational efficiency. Around 200 pieces of data including temperature, pressure and input amount are collected by sensors and measuring instruments installed in the incinerator, converted into about 70 bits of core data and operated under a structure of repeated AI learning.

Installation of this solution minimizes pollutant emissions generated during the incineration process and reduces maintenance costs by preventing malfunction through detection of abnormal vibrations or currents by sensors.

A major advantage of this solution is the ability to raise operating efficiency without the need to replace facilities or equipment.

SK Ecoplant will continue cooperation under the goal of applying the AI solution to all incinerator facilities owned by Cenviro.

In March, SK Ecoplant signed a deal on providing the solution in Vietnam and has since applied it to an incinerator in the country's northern province of Bac Ninh.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com