With waste management having attained the proportions of a Damocles’ sword, a hassle-free treatment plant would which can produce low-cost electricity should come across as a ransom for the city dwellers. Biotech, a research and development unit focusing on bio waste treatment, functioning in Vazhuthacaud MP Appan Road, has been offering customised solutions for a range of customers for over 18 years now. Different models of waste treatment plants with the added advantage of producing renewable energy have been installed in more than forty panchayats all over the State, including domestic and public facilities.
“The highlight of our units is the treatment of waste on a daily basis which avoids the piling up of garbage and pollution of surroundings,” says A Sajidas, the proprietor of Biotech who holds a doctorate in solid waste management.
The plants function according to biomethanation method where the formation of methane stimulated by microbes.
The biogas generated from the treatment is converted into electricity using conversion engines. One cubic meter of treated waste can generate elecricity equivalent to one-and-a half KW (kilo watt). Cooking gas generated from the process in domestic plants can support household usage for upto two hours, says Sajidas.
The plants vary in size and capacity according to the requirements of users. “While a home with five occupants will need a small digester of 1000 litre capacity (per day), we have installed units as huge as one-and-a-half-tonne capacity in Kozhenchery market in Pathanamathitta district,” he says. A 50-kg unit installed by Biotech has been functioning in the Sreekaryam market in the city for over seven years apart from one in Kalliyoor market. “The decentralised plants save the cost of logistics including waste collection and transportation,” he points out.
He adds that the digesters are designed in such a way that everything from paper to dry leaves can be fed to them. “The feeds are unconditional, except for being bio degradable, which saves a lot of trouble for the users,” he says.
“It is not advisable to install small plants in order to cut costs. The waste will not be treated fully and will result in leakage and contamination. On the other hand, the installation charges will be compensated for in less than two years in the case of an efficient plant,” he says.