A multi-purpose market developed by the Agricultural Products, Producers and Traders’ Association (APPTA) here is planning to produce power from waste by utilising technical expertise of the Baba Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
J. Daniel Chellappa, Senior Scientist, Technical Coordination Wing, BARC, told reporters here on Saturday that they had developed Nisargruna, a solid waste management technology to convert biodegradable waste into power and organic manure.
Through Nisargruna, 100 units of power and as many kg of organic manure could be produced from one tonne of biodegradable waste. The time-tested technology considerably reduced time taken for producing organic manure. Power was generated as a by-product.
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A plant with two-tonne capacity could be commissioned at a cost of Rs. 40 lakh for producing power, and for methanation at Rs. 30 lakh. The construction of building and commissioning of machinery would take three to four months.
The Nisargruna plants were being installed in 20 local bodies through the District Rural Development Agencies in Tuticorin, Tiruvallur, Madurai, Theni and Chennai among other places.
The BARC had already transferred the technology to 108 entrepreneurs, including eight in Tamil Nadu.
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IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) had commissioned a four-tonne a day plant at Siruseri IT Park near Chennai.
The Nisargruna plants were biphasic (aerobic followed by anaerobic phase) and produced biogas containing 70-80 per cent of methane and only 30-20 per cent of carbon dioxide, he added.
APPTA president S. Chelladurai said that the project would be approved at the associations’ executive committee meeting to be convened shortly. The association expected involvement of corporates in implementing the project as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, he said. V. Selvakumar, legal advisor of APPTA, was present.