With a cap on the supply of LPG domestic cylinders at subsidised prices, kitchens can make use of alternative options. Some in Coimbatore have done so and also gone green with biogas plants.
A simple system that includes two drums, hose, and stove can turn the kitchen and garden waste at home into fuel.
R. HemSelvan of Puducherry-based Kaveish Bioenergy claims that for half kg to five kg of waste fed into the system a day, biogas is available for minimum two-and-a-half hours. The plant is available in various capacities.
R.R. Balsundaram, who installed the system at his house here six months ago, says all kitchen waste (except lemon), excess food, dry leaves, twigs and flowers get into the plant.
No foul smell
There is no problem of foul smell or maintenance issues and it does not occupy much space. The waste from the biogas plant can be diluted with water and used as manure in the garden. There are a handful of players in the State who set up biogas plants at home. It is not expensive and makes the house environment-friendly. “I do not have to worry about increase in price of LPG cylinders,” he says.
Mr. HemSelvan says that the company has installed the biogas plants in some houses here during the last few months. The enquiries are just picking up in the State and that is mainly because of the cap on availability of LPG domestic cylinders. Apart from producing biogas at home, the plant also reduces the waste that goes out of the house. It can be installed as a common plant by panchayats or gated communities.
The concept has caught on in Kerala where it is installed in markets too. Some local bodies have made it mandatory to have a biogas facility for plan approval. The Government also gives subsidy for these plants. In Tamil Nadu, awareness should improve further, he says.
