Separate cell to verify tech at waste-to-energy plants

The Times of India , Monday, February 29, 2016
Correspondent : TNN
NEW DELHI: There will be a separate cell in the department of science and technology to verify technology used by waste-to-energy plants before cities decide to handover waste management job to them.

Union minister Prakash Javadekar said recently that a lot of proposals for such plants have come to them for verification but since they do not have the "technocratic say", the responsibility will be taken by the technology ministry who will advise municipalities on which technology is appropriate.

Javadekar also acknowledged that many cities are not satisfied with waste-to-energy plants. "Every time contractors come with a new technology. So the reforms are contractor-driven and not based on the merit of the technology," he said. "They (department of science and technology) will verify the technology, assess and rate it and advise on its usefulness," he said at a conference on "Accelerating development of WTE projects in India" sponsored by private waste management firms.

The decision is particularly relevant in Delhi where the Okhla plant has been in the midst of a raging controversy since 2007. Two other plants in Delhi in Ghazipur and Narela- Bawana are also incinerator based. "The only difference with the Okhla plant is that there is pre-processing in the other two plants. We segregate the waste in seven stages and incinerate only the combustible material. There is no air pollution from our plants," claimed an official of the department of environment monitoring services, East Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Experts, however, say municipalities should be very cautious not just about the technology but whether the plant is complying with emission norms once operational. "It's very difficult to say which technology is good. The design and management of the plant is very important. Bio-methanation is considered a safe technology. There needs to be a lot of research on incineration technologies and several more labs to test if they are releasing compounds like dioxins," said PiyushMohapatra of Toxic Links.

Biomethanation involves generating methane by decomposing organic waste with microbes. Among incineration technologies-there is mass incineration like in the case of the Okhla plant and refuse-derived fuel produced by dehydrating solid waste and then burning it.

Javadekar also said six waste management rules, including plastic waste, hazardous waste and bio medical waste will be notified from next week and a new rule will come into force every week for each category.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Separate-cell-to-verify-tech-at-waste-to-energy-plants/articleshow/51182435.cms
 


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