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Peng Guan Bak Kwa

Introduction reduce the amount of charcoal required per batch, leading
Peng Guan Pte. Ltd. (Peng Guan) is an up-and-coming player in to less charcoal consumption and fewer emissions. The team
Singapore's traditional pork jerky industry and has built a strong eventually proposed that the company's sustainability efforts
reputation for producing high-quality pork jerky (bak kwa) should revolve around minimising the waste produced from
using conventional cooking methods. The brand's dedication the burnt charcoal.
to preserving heritage recipes and techniques, such as using
the big-log charcoal of the Lohko hardwood tree species, sets Environmental Review
it apart from modern, mass-production practices. However, in With charcoal burning being the primary contributor to
today's world, where environmental concerns are increasingly greenhouse gases in this project, it is essential to understand
significant, companies like Peng Guan face the challenge of the effects of prolonged charcoal burning on the environment.
Charcoal grilling is recognised for emitting substantial amounts
balancing tradition with environmental sustainability. of diverse pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM),
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carbon monoxide
A key element in Peng Guan's jerky production is its use of (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds
Lohko charcoal from Indonesia, which is prized for imparting (VOCs), trace metals, and minor pollutants [1].
a unique flavour and texture to the pork jerky. Peng Guan
explains that Lohko, a dense, slow-burning wood, is often Charcoal burning is a significant source of several air pollutants.
sourced from specific hardwood species known for their high The emission factors (EF) of dry-burned charcoal for different
heat retention and steady burning properties. pollutants are as follows: For CO2, CO and NOx, the measured
EFs were 2619 ± 110 g kg−1, 219 ± 44.8 g kg−1 and 3.01 ± 0.70
In accordance with Singapore's Green Plan 2030 to achieve g kg−1, respectively [1].
net-zero emissions by 2050, Peng Guan is also committed to Charcoal production is generally categorised into four stages,
incorporating sustainability initiatives into their operations. with the temperature controlled at each stage: The organic
source material is first dried at a temperature of 110–200
Currently, Peng Guan is unable to compromise on the use of °C. Then, at temperatures between 170 and 300 °C during
Lohko charcoal due to its importance in producing the flavour the pre-carbonisation stage, various pyroligneous liquids,
unique to their recipe. As such, Peng Guan is looking at other like acetic acid and methanol, are created along with trace
ways to adopt sustainable practices into its operations. amounts of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. In the third
stage, which is called carbonisation, most of the light tars and
After visiting Peng Guan's factory, the mechanical engineering pyroligneous acids are released at temperatures between 250
team from ITE College East acknowledged that traditional and 300 °C. Ultimately, the source material is converted into
charcoal cooking, although energy-intensive, can be made charcoal lumps when the temperature reaches 300 °C. These
more sustainable by optimising the combustion process and lumps have a low (3–5%) ash content and usually contain 65–
70% fixed carbon (or 75–80% if manufactured for industrial
minimising waste while retaining the authentic taste and purposes) [2].
texture of its bak kwa.
In Peng Guan's case, Lohko charcoal is highly likely to be
Several meaningful discussions with Peng Guan took place, hardwood as the best raw materials for traditional charcoal
which included exploring the possibility of innovations in are hardwoods, such as beech, birch, hard maple, hickory, and
airflow and heat distribution during the grilling process to oak, because they light up quickly and impart a woodsmoke
flavour to meals [2].

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