Biopower - going waste

Garbage is a problem not only in developing world but also the developed world. Landfills are running out of space in UK which we read has decided to export waste pellets! In cities like Bangalore and Chennai and Kolkatta, you cannot drive too far without seeing some dump right within the city with waste rotting and flowing over.

What a waste we are letting all our garbage rot in landfills from where they emanate methane, etc. Instead we can be generating energy out of this waste both at individual flats level and community levels. There are people and organizations practicing this and happy with the same. Unfortunately, they are not news makers!

All it requires is 15 kgs of waste on alternate days for replacing the LPG for a family of 9. A moderate hotel can save upto Rs 75,000 annually by turning its waste into gas. The cost of disposal of waste for such a hotel is around Rs 25,000. Cowdung is also an excellent fodder for such biogas plants.

Success of such biogas plants however depend on proper segregation of the kitchen waste. Materials that can pose problems to the efficient running of plant are coconut shells and coir, egg shells, onion peels, bones and plastic pieces. While bones, shells and utensils can spoil the mixer physically, onion peels, coir and plastic can have detrimental effects on microbial consortium in the predigester and main digestion tanks. But above all, primary segregation of waste is the problem. If this can be inculcated at household levels, it could make a big difference.

Meanwhile, the total energy consumption generated from biomass in Sweden grew from 88terrawatt hours (TWh) to 115 TWh between 2000 and 2009, while the usage of oil-based products declined from 142 TWh to 112 TWh during the same period, according to the Swedish Bioenergy Association Svebio.

Biomass surpassed oil to become the number one source for energy generation in 2009, accounting for 32% of the total energy consumption in the country. It is projected that biomass consumption will continue to increase by another 10% in 2011.