The Hindu 01.02.2010
Plan to extend use of plastic waste in cement processing
S. Annamalai
MADURAI: Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) plans to extend the use of waste plastic in cement processing to more districts in February. At present, the ‘co-processing’ of waste plastic by a cement unit is being done as a pilot project in Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts in coordination with India Cements and local bodies.
The TNPCB wants to provide a legal footing to the arrangement for disposal of waste plastic through a memorandum of understanding between Tirunelveli Corporation and India Cements.
A draft MoU had been sent to the Tirunelveli Collector, according to R. Vijaya Baskaran, District Environmental Engineer, Madurai. Similar MoUs will be signed by the local bodies in the Tirunelveli cluster with India Cements.
The civic body will be vested with the responsibility of collecting waste plastic and transporting it to the cements factory at Sankar Nagar, where it is now shredded and used.
The plan is to identify a cement unit in each region and send the waste plastic in municipal solid waste for use in the manufacturing process.
Mr. Vijaya Baskaran said that the ‘co-processing’ of waste plastic did not emit harmful gases into the atmosphere or leave hazardous waste. Since plastic was heated at a temperature ranging between 1200 and 1400 degree C, only carbon-di-oxide and hydrogen were released in the process.
The process also involved filtering the emissions further. The TNPCB was holding negotiations with Madras Cements located at R. R. Nagar near Virudhunagar for use of waste plastic generated in Madurai, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts.
The arrangement was expected to become operational before the end of February, he said.
Similarly, cement units in Coimbatore and Ariyalur had been identified for processing waste plastic generated in the western and central districts respectively.
In order to make transportation of waste plastic to the cement units easy, the TNPCB was planning to encourage local bodies to buy shredders. The District Collector would review the waste plastic disposal in monthly meetings.
The TNPCB was exploring the possibility of using even hazardous waste in cement units. Municipal solid waste, if compressed into bricks or pellets, would also serve the purpose, he added.
Mr. Vijaya Baskaran, who is coordinating the scheme in the southern districts, was confident that successful implementation of this process would result in roads becoming plastic-free in one year.
