CHENNAI: Trash from Chennai's meat shops will soon go to the corporation's Bio-CNG plant to be converted into fuel and sold back. That is, if the ongoing talks are successful. The idea is to reduce the waste ending up in landfills. Several abattoirs, and fish and meat outlets, including TenderCuts, could be part of this initiative by the city corporation.
The Bio-CNG plant at Chetpet can convert 100 tonnes of segregated wet waste into a maximum of 4,000 kg of Bio-CNG in a day. Presently, it is fed only about 50-60 tonnes, and produces around 700 kg of Bio-CNG daily. Bio-CNG has a higher percentage of methane than biogas.
The city corporation, in partnership with Srinivas Waste Management Services, is looking to increase the plant's input from the 60 tonnes of wet waste (including cow dung and vegetable waste from restaurants and wedding halls) that the firm sends every day.
The manufacturing cost of Bio-CNG is Rs 58 per kg, and it is sold at Rs 80-85/kg. The present output of around 700 kg yields about Rs 56,000 a day. "Besides bones, we can use all types of poultry or fish waste. At the Chetpet plant, the space is provided by the corporation, while operations are handled by the private party. The corporation gets a fixed share from the revenue generated," said a senior official from the city corporation.
Trash from bulk waste generators is first segregated and used as feed stock in the plant. It is then purified to meet BIS 16087 norms, and bottled into 25-kg cascades and sold. Besides the plant at Chetpet, the corporation has a few in the pipeline.
"Work on a plant in Madhavaram is almost over, and another is in the foundation stages. Meanwhile, plants will be set up at Sholinganallur, Pallikaranai and Koyambedu," the official said, adding that these facilities would further reduce the waste reaching landfills.
The city also has five waste-to-energy plants, that use BARC technology, with a total capacity of 8.8 MT of biodegradable waste. The electrical energy produced is used for street lights. Chennai generates around 5,400 MT of garbage every day. The city corporation has undertaken a series of initiatives to reduce the waste that is dumped in the Kodungaiyur and Perungudi landfills.