Indian Express 17.11.2009
In a first, Surat civic body to use Plasma Gasification process to recycle garbage
The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) might become the first civic body in the country to use the Plasma Gasification Project to generate power through waste.
The SMC plans to carry out the project on Public Private Partnership basis and has referred to the Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) and Gujarat Urban Development Company (GUDC) to find out the proposal’s technical and economical viability.
The civic body collects nearly 1,100 tonnes of garbage daily, out of which 400 tonnes is recycled into different forms while the remaining is dumped in an open ground in Khajod.
The SMC had recently opened tenders to treat this remaining 700 tonnes of waste. Out of those who applied, the SMC chose a private firm — Augustina Trade Link – that proposed to recycle waste through the Plasma Gasification Project.
“If things go according to the plan, the SMC would become the first civic body in the country to generate 11 MW to 15 MW power through this project. The technology is under approval and once we get green signal from agencies like SVNIT and GUDC, we will move further. Both these agencies will work according to the municipal solid waste norms,” said E H Pathan, executive engineer, Solid and Waste, SMC.
“Under the project, garbage is dumped into a gasification chamber where, through a plasma torch, over 7,000 degree centigrade of heat is generated. The garbage gets decomposed to produce synthetic gas and through turbine or gas engine, power is generated. The Augustina firm is tied up with some foreign company and they are introducing this for the first time in the country,” Pathan added.
