Team Blitz India
MUMBAI: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, two-metric tonne bio-methanation plants are going to be set up inside five major hospitals in Mumbai, to convert wet waste into biogas.
The biogas will be used in kitchens of the hospitals. This will decentralise the process of waste collection and treatment, save the cost of transportation of the waste as well as reduce the costs incurred for cooking.
Garbage menace has been a major issue in Mumbai that generates over 6,000 metric tonne of solid waste daily, out of which 70 per cent is organic waste.
In a bid to recycle the organic waste, the BMC is working towards setting up five mini waste-to-energy (W2E) plants in each of the major civic-run hospitals of Mumbai. These are KEM Hospital (Parel), Sion Hospital, Rajawadi Hospital (Ghatkopar), TB Hospital (Sewri) and Nair Hospital (Mumbai Central).
The W2E plants will serve as biomethanation plants that will segregate as well as treat and recycle close to 2,000 kg of wet garbage generated within hospital campuses and will produce nearly 170 units of electricity per day, after its auxiliary consumption, through the process of continuous mesophilic anaerobic digestion. The biogas generated from the plants will be used to run the hospital canteens. If the output generated exceeds the requirements of the kitchens, the authorities may use the energy-to-power streetlights within the hospital campus.
Sprawling over 2,000 square feet, each plant is pegged to cost an estimated Rs 1 crore. The civic body has begun the tendering process and invited bidders for the installation as well as the maintenance of the plant for one year. The plants will become operational during the first half of 2024 in a phased manner.
Organic waste, if untreated, is transported to landfills where it emits methane, which in turn creates fire that contributes to poor air quality index (AQI).
