India Waste to Energy

8/4/2019 India Waste to Energy

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India Waste to Energy

Every year there is an estimated 30 million tonnes of solid waste and 4,400 million cubicmeters of liquid waste generated the urban areas of India. The municipal solid waste(MSW) generation ranges from 0.25 to 0.66 kg/person/day with an average of 0.45kg/person/day. In addition, large quantities of solid and liquid wastes are generated byindustries. Most wastes that are generated find their way into land and water bodieswithout proper treatment, causing severe water pollution. They also emit greenhousegases like methane and carbon dioxide, and add to air pollution. The problems causedby solid and liquid wastes can be significantly mitigated through the adoption of environment-friendly waste-to-energy technologies that will allow treatment andprocessing of wastes before their disposal. These measures would reduce the quantityof wastes, generate a substantial quantity of energy from them, and greatly reducepollution of water and air.

Technology

Various technological options are available for setting up of waste-to energy projects.Some of these are described below.

Anaerobic Digestion/Biomethanation

In this process, the organic fraction of the waste is segregated and fed into a closedcontainer (biogas digester). In the digester, the segregated waste undergoesbiodegradation in presence of methanogenic bacteria and under anaerobic conditions,producing methane-rich biogas and effluent. The biogas can be used either for cooking/heating applications, or for generating motive power or electricity through dual-

fuel or gas engines, low-pressure gas turbines, or steam turbines. The sludge fromanaerobic digestion, after stabilization, can be used as a soil conditioner. It can even besold as manure depending upon its composition, which is determined mainly by thecomposition of the input waste.

Focus on MSW

I quote here from Bio Energy News Vol¶1 No.1, 1996,

³Management of urban solid waste is one of the most neglected areas of urban development inIndia. Landfill sites and garbage dumps are overflowing in most cities attracting rodents and flies

which then spread disease´

Among various related events to highlight the MSW issue in the intervening period, there was aseminar on ³Urban Waste Management ± Options For Future´, which expressed concern over the

³environmental challenges posed by the rising waste generation due to expanding population andeconomic growth´ and the need ³to have the effective-waste management solutions for a cleaner

sustainable environment´.



Subsequently Municipal Solid Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2000 were notified byMoEF, Govt. of India laying down a time schedule for implementing waste management projects

by all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) based on compliance criteria. Efforts and recommendationsfor Integrated Waste Management Technologies such as Waste to Energy projects also found

support. The issue has been discussed in many seminars, workshops, and there has been

mushroom growth of experts at individual and organizational level and NGOs who took upMSW management projects voluntarily or with the help of financial support from fundingagencies.

Net R esult

Considerable noise has been created during this period at increasing rate in sympathy with the

increasing amount of waste and nuisance created by it. There appeared to be a direct relationship between the amount of noise made and the weight of waste generated. It is interesting

observation, howsoever absurd it might be statistically.

The Preface of the World Bank Report ³Improving Management of Urban Solid Waste In India ± Overview and Challenges´ published by Environment Unit, South Asia Region in May, 1996,says

³Solid Waste management is increasingly becoming a critical issue for municipal issue for

municipal authorities. Central and the state governments are supportive of local efforts toimprove MSW management but this is essentially a municipal function and it is at this level that

challenges have to be addressed.´

The k ey findings

Adapting the known technologies for development of require infrastructure, with considerableavailability of funds

y Urgent need of much improved medium term planning at the municipal and state level for development of investment projections and implementation

y Captive funding support by the central government and utilization of resources by theimplementing bodies as effectively as possible

y Private Sector Participation in treatment and disposal of MSW by enhancing the strengthof ULBs and ability of engaged contractors to perform.

Addressing critical technological questions on techno-commercial viability of converting

waste to resource via composting and waste to energy projects to gain significant practical advantage as an effective solution to MSW management and creation of reliable

national data on waste management, covering either the technical or the financial aspectswhich does not exist were some of the important issues highlighted.

It was approximately this time, an international Seminar on ³War on Waste, supported byMinistry of Steel and Ministry of Urban Development, Govt. of India was held at New

Delhi which focused on various issues relevant to MSW management but did not saymuch except repeating the chorus



Status Despite Regulatory Initiatives on MSW management by Government of India since 1960s till to

day, the net result is back to square one position as the waste was a problem and continues to bea problem. The waste can be seen overflowing the waste bins or bins being empty and the waste

gracing either side of the main roads over long stretches of a city and the stray cattle feasting on

it. Delhi is a city of contrast where you can see the Metros for rapid mass transport and the wastestill being transported on bullock carts even today sprinkling the garbage on the road as it movesat a speed of which even a snail will not be proud of.

In India we follow unique waste disposal methods, for instance, at Badshahpur, Haryana, the

waste is carefully placed on the wide road divider as if to exhibit with pride ³we are no less thanany one on this front.´ One is greeted by waste dumps on either side of State and National

Highways be it Gurudaspur in Punjab or Moradabad and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, or anyother city or town in different states in the country for that matter. It will not be so in future, but

we are still in the planning stage. There are many grey areas to be taken care of and we have along way to go.

Solutions There are several missing links and many loose ends both in terms of management, technologyand professional skill. The solutions need thorough understanding ,for example, deployment of

competent persons qualified in solid waste management (real hard taskmasters and not peoplewho turn up with a handkerchief to cover their nose to keep the stink away), application of

efficient combination of waste handling equipments in cost effective manner and streamlining of the handling of waste at various stages throughout its journey from source of generation to

ultimate safe disposal site, without intermediate dumping and accumulation of waste for daystogether. A flawless continuous flow sheet of MSW has to be developed. Matching financial

support, discipline and attitudinal change in all concerned will obviously be the key for effectiveand successful MSW management in India

The Indian municipal solid waste to energy market could be growing at a compound annualgrowth rate of 9.7% by 2013, according to a report by market analysts Frost and Sullivan.

The reports authors claim that an increase in the quantity of waste generated, coupled with theneed for a proper means of waste disposal - as well as the widespread adoption of technologyand better collection efficiency of municipal solid waste (MSW) - offers significant growthopportunities in the Indian market.The report titled: Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste-to-Energy Market in India, finds that themarket generated 821 MW in 2009 and estimates this to reach 1191 MW by 2013.

The study also finds that refuse-derived fuel (RDF) pelletisation has been a common practice inmany plants, and it is expected to remain the preferred solution for non-biodegradable waste.

In addition a reduction in landfill capacity has compelled municipalities in India to explore other methods of waste disposal and treatment; however, the report finds that technological andcommercial viability of the waste to energy projects needs to be proven.

It is also claimed that private participants in India have shown considerable interest in projectsto generate power from MSW, and several of them are operational and using a diverse range of



technologies - despite the lack of subsidies and support from the government and municipalauthorities.

The report goes on to add that the government is expected to take note of the waste to energysolutions sooner rather than later, due to the power shortage of around 30 - 50 GW that India iscurrently facing. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is working toward

achieving energy security by tapping renewable sources, which has made energy generationfrom MSW an attractive option.

"Over the years, the volatility in the prices of natural gas or fossil fuel has forced countries tostart focusing on other renewable forms of energy," says Frost & Sullivan "Apart fromgenerating heat and electricity, waste to energy conversion helps in solving the waste disposalproblem."

Waste to energy projects enable companies to generate revenues not only from electricityproduction, but also from the sale of carbon credits.

The analysts explain that the biggest hurdle to success in this market is the opposition that

companies are likely to face from environmental activists and non-governmental organizations.Delays in the approval of waste to energy projects also affect market profitability.

Companies can try to minimise the impact of these issues on their growth rates by selectingtechnologies based on the characteristics of the waste material and availability of funds.

The government must try to harness the potential of this market by providing tipping fees andsubsidies to plant operators.

"Community incentives need to be offered to those organizing the collection and segregationservices for waste-to-energy facilities," notes Frost & Sullivan. "Regulatory measures to exemptlevies and taxes on entities and entrepreneurs that are transporting and processing waste for

energy production will also greatly bolster the market."

From Waste to Energy and Valuable Products

All of this waste contains unused energy. Instead of discarding that energy source, gasification

can convert it to electric power and other valuable products, such as chemicals, substitute naturalgas, transportation fuels, and fertilizers. On average, waste-to-energy plants that use mass-burn

incineration can convert one ton of MSW to about 550 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Withgasification technology, one ton of MSW can be used to produce up to 1,000 kilowatt-hours of

electricity, a much more efficient and cleaner way to utilize this source of energy. Industrialwaste also contains a large source of untapped energy. For example, the energy content of wood

construction and demolition waste is about 8,000 Btu/lb and about 10,000 Btu/lb for non-recyclable industrial plastics.

MSW gasification faces a number of challenges. Because MSW can contain such a wide varietyof materials, the materials may need to be sorted to eliminate those items that cannot be readily

gasified or that would harm the gasification equipment. In addition, the gasification system mayneed to be designed to handle a variety of different materials because these materials may be

gasified at different rates.



Further, one of the important advantages of gasification is that the syngas can be cleaned of contaminants prior to its use, eliminating many of the types of after-the-fact (post-combustion)

emission control systems required by incineration plants. Technologies used in waste gasificationinclude conventional gasification systems, as well as plasma arc gasification. Whether generated

from conventional gasification or from plasma gasification, the syngas can be used in

reciprocating engines or turbines to generate electricity or further processed to produce substitutenatural gas, chemicals, fertilizers or transportation fuels, such as ethanol. Read more about the products of gasification.

Gasification Does Not R educe R ecycling R ates

Gasification does not compete with recycling. In fact, it enhances recycling programs. Materialscan and should be recycled and conservation should be encouraged. However, many materials,

such as metals and glass, must be removed from the MSW stream before it is fed into thegasifier. Pre-gasification feedstock processing systems are added up-front to accomplish the

extraction of metals, glass and inorganic materials, resulting in the increased recycling andutilization of materials. In addition, a wide range of plastics cannot be recycled or cannot be

recycled any further, and would otherwise end up in a landfill. Such plastics are an excellent,high energy feedstock for gasification.

In addition, not all cities or towns are set up to collect and process recycled materials. And, as populations grow, the amount of waste generated grows. So even as recycling rates increase, the

amount of waste is increasing at a greater rate. All of this waste represents lost energy andeconomic value - which gasification can capture.

India Waste to Energy

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