CHENNAI: The Corporation of Chennai has called out for green energy firms interested in generating biomass out of tender coconut husks in an Expression of Interest (EoI) put out by the civic body’s Central region.
Nearly three tonnes of tender coconut husks are generated on a daily basis from the Central region, the EoI stated. These husks are accumulated and transported to dump yards where they rot with the rest of the garbage.
In a bid to change this, the civic body is now on a lookout for firms interested in processing the husks in order to generate biomass and subsequently bio fuel, which could be used for cooking purposes as well as to run automobiles.
The civic body is even willing to let the eligible firm establish a biomass generating unit.
“We noticed that the processing of husks is in practice in a few southern Tamil Nadu districts as well as in our neighbouring States. So now, instead of adding on to the waste, we hope this initiative will help generate more energy from waste,” said a corporation official. “Besides, composting was found to be more time consuming,” the official added.
Tender coconut husks are soft and have high moisture. So, with adequate fuel processing, the husk can be converted into a valuable clean combustion fuel, reports a journal by the The Energy and Resources Institute. Processed fuel from fresh tender coconut has energy content about 10 times that of the raw material and has a calorific value comparable to fuel wood, meaning that it can serve as good quality biomass fuel, the journal adds.