Feasibility study on Energy Generation from Solid Wastes of Thiruvananthapuram city

Funding Agency: Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources, Government of India and Science, Technology and Environment Committee, Government of Kerala

Solid waste management may be defined as the process associated with the control of generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing and disposal of solid wastes in a manner that is in accord with the best principles of public health, economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics, and other environmental considerations. The study conducted by CED in Thiruvananthapuram City (1997) revealed that the quantity of MSW generated daily from the Corporation area comes to about 289 tonnes, which comes to about 0.32 kg/capita/day. Major Objectives of the study were to assess the quality and quantity of solid wastes generated in Thiruvananthapuram City, to assess the physical and chemical characteristics of the wastes generated, to assess the system of waste collection, transportation and its disposal and the local infrastructural facilities available with the City Corporation, to formulate an implementation strategy for urban wastes treatment cum energy generation projects for the City, to organise pilot scale energy recovery programmes in some of the selected areas of the City.

A detailed survey was carried out in ten wards selected based on the aggregate sampling technique of Thiruvananthapuram City. Survey was conducted to collect information on household waste generation as well as market/commercial and hospital wastes. Secondary information on the system of waste collection, disposal and associated activities were collected from the City Corporation office. Physical and chemical characterization of the waste generated in the City was also carried out. Feasibility study for utilising the biodegradable wastes generated in the City for composting, and biomethanation were carried out both at laboratory scale and field level. Different types of composting technologies were experimented to evolve more appropriate models for field level implementation. Similarly, experiments on biomethanation were also conducted both at laboratory scale and in field.

Two residential areas were identified in Palkulangara and Perunthanni wards for pilot scale implementation of composting and biomethanation programmes. Fifty households were selected in Palkulangara and 20 in Perunthanni for Vermicomposting programme. A community level Biomethanation plant was also constructed in Palkulangara to utilise the biodegradable wastes generated in the area. Another Biomethanation plant was constructed in a slum area (Barton Hill colony) in the heart of the City in which the biodegradable wastes generated in the houses located here were utilised. The third Biomethanation plant had been designed for a market area to utilise the biodegradable wastes generated in the market. On the basis of the information collected through the survey and the experience gained through the field level interventions, an Action Programme for Solid Waste Management of Thiruvananthapuram City was formulated.