Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has set up an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) based biogas plant which uses the latest biomethanation technology for converting canteen waste into sustainable, renewable energy at its Bengaluru Complex.
Installed at a cost of Rs. 40 lakhs, along with Maihem Ikos, a Pune-based waste management company, the new plant has the capacity to digest 2 tons of food waste generated in the factory canteen and produce a minimum of 160 Cubic Metres of bio gas per day, which is equivalent to 70 kg LPG. The biogas produced can be used to generate electricity, bio-CNG or heat.
The new plant has already helped replace about 1,800 kg of LPG used per month in the BEL factory with biogas. This has resulted in savings to the tune of
Rs. 11.70 lakhs per annum for BEL. Not just that. The plant ensures an environmentally sound system of disposal of food waste, something that other industries in the city can emulate in reducing environment pollution levels. Biomethanation is the best way to process organic waste, which has a higher percentage of carbon. The anaerobic digestion technology is highly apt for dealing with the chronic problem of organic waste management in urban societies.
UASB technology has better process control systems like flame arrester, alarms, pH/temperature monitoring systems and scrubbers for removal of hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide gases. The bio gas produced from the plant is supplied to the BEL canteen at a pressure of 0.4 Kg/cm2 to create an LPG burning effect.
The UASB plant replaces the Khadi and Village Industrial Commission (KVIC) model plant that existed earlier at BEL-Bengaluru.
Bangalore, which is home to an increasing number of IT, food, automobile and manufacturing industries, is known to face some serious waste-related issues. With increasing awareness of this problem, the city has actively started investing in effective waste disposal solutions. Among the available solutions, ‘waste to energy’ has emerged as one of the most promising ones, in the renewable energy sector.