Kozhikode: The City Corporation has initiated steps to improve its solid waste management programme following the merger of the Elathur, Beypore and Cheruvannur-Nallalam grama panchayats with it.
At least two agencies with international expertise have approached the Corporation authorities to revamp the current waste management programme. This includes overhauling the door-to-door collection of garbage, segregation of biodegradable and non degradable waste, and setting up a new plant at Njelianparamba, which is located in the Cheruvannur-Nallalam grama panchayat.
One of the proposals has been put forth by the Aluva-based Loro Group, in association with the Kozhikode-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Oleena Mahila Samajam. The Loro Group has proposed setting up a waste management system using technology developed by scientist Tom Wilson for Ireland.
The Wilson System adopts the steam treatment process for waste, using autoclaving and steam boiler technologies. It has the capacity to reduce the waste to up to 80 per cent of its original volume. The system sanitises all materials and de-labels metals, extracts plastics and breaks down biodegradable waste into homogenous cellulose fibre, Manoj Pillai, director, Loro Group, who made a special presentation for councillors at the council hall here on Wednesday, said.
He said the technology had several advantages, including reducing landfill and lower capital cost for incineration. The plant would be energy efficient and self-sufficient in heat and power. A plant at Limerick in Ireland that employed the Wilson System had the capacity to treat 440 tonnes of waste daily. Nearly 10 acres of land would be needed to set up the system. The total cost would come to Rs.300 crore, Mr. Pillai said.
Mayor M. Bhaskaran, who chaired the meeting, said the company had promised that the plant machinery could be redesigned to suit the city's requirements.
At present, only biodegradable waste is treated at the plant on the 18-acre Njelianparamba trenching ground. This comes to less than 100 tonnes daily.
Oleena chairperson T. Sujatha said the company would take steps to involve investors in setting up the system and would sell the electricity generated through the gasification process to the Kerala State Electricity Board. Nearly 90 per cent of the waste would be converted into energy and fertilizers and the remaining sludge would be utilised for ceramic applications, she said.
Second proposal
Deputy Mayor P.T. Abdul Latheef said the Chennai-based Harita-NTI Ltd., which has a 50 per cent joint partnership with Northern Technologies International Corporation Ltd., U.S., had also approached the Corporation to set up a plant which uses technology that converts plastic to fuel. The company had operational units of polymer energy in Chennai in the country and in Thailand to convert waste plastic into a range of crude oil products.
He said the Kochi Corporation had passed a proposal to set up a waste treatment plant based on the plastic-to-fuel technology. The technology used in polymer energy is transverse flow catalytic conversion.
Mr. Bhaskaran said one of these proposals, if found feasible, would be forwarded to the State Pollution Control Board and the State government for approval.
Source:The Hindu 9-9-2010
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