The civic body has submitted to the National Green Tribunal’s Southern Bench its detailed project report to build a waste to energy plant in Vellalore. According to sources, the Corporation would construct a plant to process 600 tonnes waste a day.
The Corporation at present collected 1,045 tonnes waste a day of which it processed 500 tonnes by aerobic windrow composting method, five tonnes by bio-methanation, another 100 tonnes by vermin-composting.
It had planned to build the waste to energy plant to process the remaining 440 tonnes waste a day, which it was unable to process at present. After segregating and processing the 440 tonnes waste, it would get reduced to 322 tonnes waste, which would have a calorific value of 2,200 - higher than the 1,450 calorific value recommended by the Government of India.
It would burn the waste at 850 degree C, use the heat to generate steam and then electricity, estimated to be over 4 MW a day, said the sources. The Corporation expected the plant to generate sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen chloride, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and a few other gases but it had devised methods to keep emission under control.
To minimise the emissions, it would inject ammonia on hot flue gas, sodium bicarbonate for controlling sodium dioxide, carbon to capture heavy metals. It had also planned to use the fly ash for bricks and dispose the bottom ash in landfill.
The Corporation had decided to go for incinerators after analysing waste samples and their calorific value. Though at present it would use 322 tonnes, it had designed the plant for 600 tonnes keeping in mind the increase in waste generated over the years. It had estimated that the quantity of waste generated would increase to 2,471 tonnes a day. Currently, it was 1,099 tonnes.
The sources said that once the Corporation obtained necessary clearances, it would submit the proposal to the State Government for funds.
