Waste processing: Chandigarh to adopt NEERI-suggested technology

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, December 8

The UT Administration today accepted the recommendations of the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), a consultant hired by the Municipal Corporation, to set up an integrated waste processing plant in Sector 25.

In its report submitted recently, NEERI had recommended to set up a wet waste processing plant with bio-methanation system under which compressed biogas (CBG) will be produced. For dry waste plant, it suggested RDF(refuse-derived fuel)-to-cement technology.

According to the report, the wet garbage will be processed separately and independently to extract maximum organics. The organics will be fed into digesters to produce biogas and digestate (material remaining after the decomposition of a biodegradable feedstock under low oxygen conditions). Digestate will be dewatered, dried and screened to produce compost. While 50% biogas will be utilised to heat the content of digesters as well as a thermal dryer, the remaining 50% will to be converted into compressed biogas (CBG).

Dry waste is to be processed separately and independently to recover recyclables as much as possible. Recyclables will be sold to vendors. RDF will be disposed of in an environmentally safe and sustainable manner to nearby cement/waste-to-energy plants, added the report.

At present, the city generates 500 metric tonne (MT) per day of waste. Of this, 350 MT is wet and the remaining dry waste.

The MC claims to have started processing 100% of dry waste with an upgraded plant in Sector 25 from December 1. According to the corporation, the processing capacity in the city has now gone up from current 120 MT per day to 200 MT, the total daily dry waste generation. The dry waste will be converted into RDF. Of the 350 MT wet garbage generated in the city every day, only 120 MT is being processed.

The existing processing plant was established in 2008 by Jai Parkash Associates Ltd on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis for 30 years. The agency failed to operate the plant properly due to non-maintenance of machinery from time to time.

The agreement was terminated in June 2020 and the corporation took over the plant.

What NEERI report says

• Wet garbage will be processed separately to extract maximum organics
• Organics will be fed into digesters to produce biogas and digestate
• 50% biogas will be utilised to heat digester content, thermal dryer
• Remaining 50% will be converted into compressed biogas
• Digestate will be dewatered, dried and screened to produce compost
• Recyclables will be first recovered from dry waste and sold to vendors
• Refuse-derived fuel will be sent to cement/waste-to-energy plants

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