The Hindu 02.01.2014
Youngsters come up with new technique to resolve waste menace
A group of young marine engineers-turned-entrepreneurs have proposed a technique to address the issue of waste management in the Kottayam town. The idea is being floated by the group, consisting of Arun Subrahmaniam, Happy John, Ajeesh Isaac and Tom Joseph, who have established an enterprise, Litter Watt, which has been registered with the Kerala State Entrepreneur Development Mission (KSEDM) of the Kerala Financial Corporation.
They came up with the proposal against the backdrop of the Vadavathoor dumping yard issue. Speaking at a press conference, they said the wastes that have accumulated over the years in the yard could be used to produce landfill gas. The new waste particles could be converted into end products using cellular anaerobic digestion (CAD), a procedure designed by the group.
Organic fraction
As per the studies they had conducted, it was found that the garbage at the dumping yard has a high organic fraction of around 85 per cent. Moreover, the organic fraction has a moisture content of about 60-80 per cent. According to them, the CAD process involved facilitating the decay process in a controlled manner to accelerate its progress.
The moisture fraction in the waste particles could be collected as leachate and could be diverted to the processing plant for biogas production and then, to the post-treatment plant for conditioning and sterilisation before being fed to the ground.
They said the municipal waste, including plastic materials, could be filled into a container capable of storing up to 15 tonnes. After nearly 30 days, a major portion of the wastes could be converted into bio-methane and leachate. The residual particles, which will remain as low as 10 per cent of the total volume, could be used for land-filling, they said.
They added the biogas could be used as a replacement by restaurants and caterers instead of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Moreover, while 1 kg of LPG costs around Rs.100, 1 kg of bio-methane could be marketed at a very competitive price of Rs.20, they proposed.
The cost
The group pointed out that the implementation of the scheme could be carried out on a plot of 1 acre and at a cost of Rs.3 crore.
