QUEEN'S ROAD: If all goes well, coconut shells strewn around the city will soon be used as fuel at the restaurants and hotels. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, in association with a private company called CIPL Resurge, has decided to convert coconut shells to briquettes that can be used as fuel.
Anupam Acharya, Associate Director of CIPL Resurge, told City Express that close to 400 tonnes of tender coconut shell are generated in Bengaluru every day.
"Our unit has the capacity to take 40 tonnes of shell, and shred and compress them to make biomass briquettes. We are taking these shells from the city's west zone. BBMP will make arrangements to transport the shells to our unit," he said. The unit will be built at Freedom Park.
The project has been successfully conducted in other cities like Mumbai and Pune, he said. The company plans to expand its operations to other parts of Benguluru as well.
The company is planning to deliver the briquettes directly, and are unlikely to take the retail route. It is focusing on food industries, hotels, restaurants and food manufacturing units.
Acharya said unlike fossil fuels such as LPG cylinders and light diesel oil, biomass briquettes are non-explosive. "This fuel is safer to use and store and is eco-friendly," he said. "And they are inexpensive."
He also pointed out that by cutting down on the wastage of coconut shells, which often become a breeding place for mosquitoes during the rainy season, diseases like dengue and malaria can be prevented.
He said unlike other organic wastes, coconut shells cannot be easily disposed of using bio mechanisation or composting. This will also maintain the Carbon Neutral Cycle (a mechanism of balancing a measured amount of carbon released).
This means, unlike other fossil fuels, briquettes will not lead to global warming.
Mid-day meals using briquettes
Tejwaswani Ananth Kumar, managing trustee of Adamya Chetana says, “We have been using briquettes made from organic wastes produced at our kitchen for the past three years to prepare mid day meals for over 70,000 children. We provide mid day meals to various schools across Bengaluru. Besides being cost effective, this is an innovative method to save and garner resources for sustainable development.”