Cement factories outside J&K to use RDF as 5% fuel
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Aug 30: In order to carry out effective segregation, management and treatment of the city waste, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is going to start bio-mining of the waste at a cost of over 30 crore rupees for which it has already floated bids even as the lowest bidder has also been identified.
The project is going to be started soon at the SMC’s Achan dumping site where at least 9 lakh metric tons of the waste which is in store in 3 large cells is going to be taken care of through bio-remediation under the overall process of Bio-mining.
“We are working on the project and the Bio-mining would be soon started at the Achan dumping site.” Commissioner SMC, Amir Athar told Excelsior.
As per details, around Rs 32 crores have already been earmarked for the project under the 14th Finance Commission while as at the outset, it was planned that in the Phase-I of the Bio-mining, around 5 lakh metric tons of waste would be bio-remediated.
However, the officials told Excelsior that it has come to the fore that with the amount of Rs 32 crores in hand, only around half of the 5 lakh metric ton of waste could be processed in Phase-I.
“We will be going ahead with that, and under the project in Phase-I, we would be processing around 2.80 lakh metric tonnes of the waste, to begin with, and for that, most of the prerequisites have already been carried out,” Bashir Ahmad Baba Chief Sanitation Officer, SMC told Excelsior, adding that the administrative approval in this regard is awaited.
He said that regarding the Bio-mining project, the SMC has already carried out the technical as well as the financial evaluation even as the Lowest Bidder (L1) has also been identified.
Under the process of Bio-mining, the garbage is treated with bio-organisms or natural elements like air and sunlight so that the biodegradable elements in the waste break down overtime and the non-biodegradable material which is left, is dealt with separately.
The officials said that under Bio-mining the cells filled with the waste are emptied and the elements such as plastic and polythene with are non-biodegradable will be taken out of J&K to be used as fuel by the cement factories.
The details available further state that there are two designs available for Bio-mining, in which the first one carries out only the segregation while as the disposal of the waste is to be carried out by the SMC itself-per metric ton cost under the design is Rs 500-600.
Under design number-2, which the SMC is going to use at the Achan dumping site, emptying of the cells storing the waste will be carried out and 100% clearance, as well as the disposal of the waste will be ensured.
“In this design, the cost per metric ton is Rs 1400. Under that, the good earth, bio-degradable as well as the non-biodegradable will be taken care of,” the officer concerned said.
The officials said that the Refuse-derived fuel (non-biodegradable waste) that will come out of the Bio-mining process will be taken outside J&K for the use of the cement factories to be used as a fuel
“The cement factories here are not capable of burning the Refuse-derived fuel because it is to be burned at 600 centigrade so that the pollutant effects of the waste are brought down to zero and to do that the waste will be taken out of J&K for re-use,” the officials said.
As per the norms, the cement factories have to use the RDF as 5 percent fuel in place of the conventional fuel that they ideally use and with the successful process of Bio-mining, the SMC is expecting to take care of the foul smell as well that emanates from the dumping site.
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