Kerala government recently announced the State’s first waste-to-energy project in Kozhikode.
What is a waste to energy project?
Waste-to-energy projects - Waste-to-energy projects use non-recyclable dry waste to generate electricity. The waste is combusted to generate heat, which is converted into electricity.
The waste to energy projects is also called a trash-to-energy, municipal waste incineration, energy recovery, or resource recovery plant.
Status of for waste to energy - The first waste-to-energy plant was set up in Timarpur in Delhi in 1987.
A total of 14 waste-to-energy plants have been installed in India, out of which seven plants were closed.
Total quantity of solid waste generated in the country was 1,50,761 tonnes per day in 2019-’20.
What are the technologies available for waste to energy?
Biomethanation – It is anaerobic digestion of organic materials which is converted into biogas.
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a bacterial fermentation process that operates without free oxygen and results in a biogas
Incineration - Incineration technology is complete combustion of waste with the recovery of heat to produce steam that in turn produces power through steam turbines.
Gasification - Gasification is a process that uses high temperatures (500-1800o C) in the presence of limited amounts of oxygen to decompose materials to produce synthetic gas.
Pyrolysis - Pyrolysis uses heat to break down combustible materials in the absence of oxygen, producing a mixture of combustible gases, liquids and solid residues.
What is the significance of waste to energy projects?
Effective disposal of waste
Landfill and dump yards can be reduced
The petroleum import can be reused leading to increased economic growth
It can be the alternate source of energy to promote circular economy
What are the reasons for the failure of waste-to-energy projects?
Huge gap - The huge gap between the quantity and quality of waste being generated, and the capacity of the municipality to manage that waste.
Low inert content - The waste has inert content which is not suitable for burning in Waste-To-Energy Project
Requirement of fuel - which makes the Waste-To-Energy Project unviable.
Low calorific value - The municipal waste has low calorific value and high moisture content which is not suitable for electricity generation.
High costsof energy production - The cost of generating power from waste is around Rs 7-8/unit.
While the cost at which the States’ electricity boards buy power from coal, hydroelectric, and solar power plants is around Rs 3-4/unit.
Environmental damage - Most of the projects are built in ecologically sensitive areas which also damage the environment.
What is the way forward?
People should follow strict segregation practices and also process biodegradable waste.
Municipality must ensure that only non-biodegradable dry waste is sent to the plant and separately manage the other kinds of waste.
Municipality or the department responsible for Solid Waste Management should be practical about the high cost of power generation, and include the State electricity department.
A tripartite agreement between the municipality, the plant operator, and the power distribution agency.
