Biogas plants to be setup in schools and hospitals

The district panchayat in association with the Total Sanitation Cell is set to implement source-level solid waste management projects in eight schools and three hospitals in the district.

Tendering process for the Rs.21.41-lakh project had been completed and works would begin soon, Suchitwa Mission secretary V.S. Santhosh Kumar said. Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Ltd., which was the lowest bidder, will be the implementing agency. The scheme includes construction of biogas plants of varying capacities at these institutions.

The Neyyattinkara District Hospital; District Ayurveda Hospital, Varkala; and District Homoeo Hospital, Fort; are the three hospitals where biogas plants will be installed. While a 500 kg a day capacity plant will be installed at Neyyattinkara District Hospital at a cost of Rs.7.41 lakh, at the District Ayurveda Hospital and the District Homeo Hospital 200 kg a day capacity plants will be installed at a cost of Rs.6 lakh.

Apart from this, biogas plants having a capacity to process 50 kg a day will be installed in eight schools in the district at a cost of Rs.1 lakh each. The Government Higher Secondary School (HSS), Punnamoodu; Government Vocational Higher Secondary School (VHSS), Vellanad; Government HSS, Venjaramoodu; Government HSS, Narayimuttam; Government VHSS, Njekkadu; Government HSS, Kilimanoor; Governemnt VHSS, Paruthipally; and Government VHSS, Kallara; are the schools in which the plants will be installed.

An official of Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Ltd said that works on the plant would begin as soon as the Corporation receives the work order from the cell. ‘‘We will not take up the works on all the plants at one go. Rather the construction of one or two plants will be done simultaneously. In all, it might take around four months to complete all the 11 projects,'' the official said.

District panchayat president Remani P. Nair said the source-level solid waste management project would be extended to more schools in the next financial year.

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Biogas Plant at SMV Government School in Thiruvananthapuram

 Biogas Plant at SMV Government School in Thiruvananthapuram – Pallavi Chinya

Sree Moola Vilasom (SMV) Government Model Higher Secondary School is one of the oldest schools in Thiruvananthapuram city. Established by Swathi Thirunal Maharaja of the Travancore Kingdom in 1836. Today this school is imparting education to more than 3000 children studying from 5^th standard to plus two. The children of this school have been provided with an opportunity to learn beyond what is taught from the text books. They are getting one of the important civic lessons i.e. solid waste management. Under the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP), the Thiruvanathapuram city corporation set up a Biogas plant with an approximate cost of Rs3.85 lakh on the school premises in 2009. Initially it was operated by an agency but since 2011 the school authorities with the active participation of staff comprising nearly 100 teaching and non-teaching staff and students are operating and maintaining the biogas plant.

Biogas plant is a unit which converts organic, biodegradable waste matter into useful gaseous fuel which helps in reducing carbon emission. The plant type set up in SMV Schoolis fixed dome and the hydraulic retention time is 45 days. Students say that setting up of biogas plant has given them hands on experience in solid waste management.

Solid waste management may be defined as systematic collection and disposal of solid waste. The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), which operates under the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES) promotes the alternative energy options. To promote and disseminate information about biogas technology specifically, the government has organised the National Project on Biogas Development nation-wide. The government views biogas technology as a vehicle to reduce rural poverty, and as a tool in part of a wider drive for rural development. The advantages of biogas are manifold.

• The gas is useful as a fuel substitute for firewood, dung, agricultural residues, petrol, diesel, and electricity.
• Biogas helps in generation of eco friendly energy production. The calorific value of biogas is equal to that of half liter of diesel oil (6 kWh/m3). Larger biogas plants generate and feed electricity into mainstream power grids. Smaller biogas production units can support lighting and cooking requirements.
• Biogas in rural areas can be particularly advantageous to women. Installing a biogas unit will relieve her of the tiring and tedious job of collecting and ferrying firewood. Since, biogas burns cleanly, the rural homes can also boost of smoke free kitchens. Cooking is also easier with a gas stove and takes less time.
• Biogas positively contributes to better health. It lowers the incidence of respiratory diseases. Diseases like asthma, lung problems, and eye infections have considerably decreased in the same area when compared to the pre-biogas plant times.

The total quantity of bio waste generated in SMV school in Thiruvananthapuram city is 150 kg per day. The volume of the gas generated in the plant is 10 m3.  The success of this project is highlighted by the fact that the mid-day meals provided to the students as well as the food in school canteen is cooked by the biogas generated by the plant. (PIB Feature).

source:http://indiacurrentaffairs.org

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Plan for Biogas Plants at State Institutions in Chandigarh, India

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Rufous

Chandigarh is a city and union territory in India that serves as the capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana is to implement a Master Plan that will see the construction of a large number of food waste to biogas facilities.

According to a report in The Times of India, the plan calls for most of the city's hotels and a number of government buildings including college campuses, medical research centres and a hospital will generate their own energy through biogas plants.

The paper said that the master plan committee that is preparing a comprehensive plan for the future development of city has received feedback from the department of science and technology that biogas plants using the kitchen wastes of these institutions would results in the city saving LPG.

The plan is reported to have been explored by the Department of Science and Technology, with the aim of switching from conventional resources of energy to renewable resources in a phased manner.

According to The Times, biogas produced from the waste of the institutions kitchens could meet the requirements of the proposal for renewable energy sources and would also help to manage waste.

The department has also submitted a plan to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) of the central government.

The report said that the plant was submitted to the committee that is preparing the Master Plan of city.

All these institutions have also been asked to supply required information in this concern by the committee.

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biomethanation plant set up by Mangalore City Corporation using the technology developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)

  Raviprasad Kamila 

The bio-methanation plant of Mangalore City Corporation behind Urwa Market. Photo: Raviprasad Kamila

The “Nisargruna” biomethanation plant set up by Mangalore City Corporation using the technology developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, near Urwa Market here has begun functioning.

Environment Engineer at the corporation Madhu S. Manohar told The Hindu that the corporation had planned to use the energy (methane gas) produced at the plant to operate a generator. The generator in turn would supply power to Urwa Market and operating machines at the plant. He said the plan was to achieve self-sufficiency in power supply in operating the plant and supplying power to the market.

Mr. Manohar said the plant had been set up for reducing the quantity of bio-waste being transported to the corporation's compost plant at Pachchanady and instead use the waste to generate energy. With this, the corporation would achieve the twin objective of saving the cost of transporting the biowaste to the compost plant and reduce volume of waste being lifted from the market.

The biomethanation plant which started functioning in the last week of November 2011 had the capacity to process up to two tonnes of biowaste a day. The two tonnes of bio waste could produce between 100-160 cubic metres of methane gas. It could produce up to 200 units of power, Mr. Manohar said.

“The plant produced 261 cubic metres of methane gas from November last week to first week of January,” Mr. Manohar said.

He said its operation had to be stopped later as its main digestion doom developed a snag. It was rectified and it started functioning a few days ago.

The plant had been set up by Wipro Eco Energy under the guidance and technology provided by Sharad Kale, Professor, Homi Bhabha National Institute, and Head, Pesticide Residues and Soil Science section Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, BARC.

Mr. Manohar said the kitchen waste from some hotels, vegetable and green waste from Mannagudda, Boluru, and Derebail South-West wards were shifted to the plant for producing the gas.

The engineer said it took three months for the plant to reach its full capacity as bio-waste had to be fed in the quantity prescribed in phases. For example, there would be no feeding of waste for the first fortnight after beginning the operation. In the next fortnight, 500 kg of waste could be fed. Between 31 days and 45 days, the quantity could be scaled up to 750 kg. Later, it could be increased to 1,000 kg, 1,500 kg, and up to two tonness for the 90th day in phases.

He said now the two motors, a compressor, and a mixer at the plant were being operated by using power supplied by Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd.

Mr. Manohar said the corporation council had approved the purchase of a generator.

Professor Kale told The Hindu that “Biogas generated in any biomethanation plant is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. The biogas generated in Nisargruna process contains more percentage of methane than the conventional process. Since the percentage of methane is higher, the flame would be better, and calorific value higher in case of biogas generated in the plant.” 

source;http://www.thehindu.com/

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