IISc Leads The Way, To Become A Zero Waste Campus With In-House Bio Fuel Plant
The Indian Institute of Science IISc is setting up a bio-methanation plant to convert green waste into bio-gas which in turn would be used as fuel within the campus itself. The project will be model to be emulated by institutes across India.
A bio-methanation plant on campus will convert waste into bio-gas for hostels.
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While at least two bio-methanation plants are closing down in Bengaluru due to non-payment from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and contractors have threatened to close down more in the coming days, the city-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has decided to set an example by taking a lead in that very direction.
The IISc is setting up a bio-methanation plant to convert green waste into bio-gas, which in turn would be used as fuel within the campus itself. By doing so, IISc is aiming at zero waste going from the institute to the city's landfills or the waste processing units, as planned by the BBMP following people's failure to segregate waste at source.
According to Prof JM Chandra Kishen, spearheading the efforts by the Centre for infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP), the project will be model to be emulated by institutes across India.
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Kishen said, "Many faculty members at the IISc are working on different problems; we would like to integrate all of them and come out with certain guidelines that can be emulated by other institutes."
The project ¡ª Solid Waste Management Initiative at IISc (SWaMII) ¡ª started with segregating waste at the source itself in each department of the institute where five coloured bins are set up to dispose wet waste, non-biodegradable dry waste, biodegradable dry waste, e-waste and sanitary waste.
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The project currently handles solid waste from 14 departments and 250 residencies from within the institute premises.
The segregated waste is collected by SWaMII volunteers and transferred to a recovery facility on a daily or weekly basis. While some waste is locally composted, dry waste is recycled and sanitary waste disposed of in accordance with guidelines of the state pollution board. "All green waste will get into a bio-methanation plant. We will produce gas which will be sent to the hostel messes for cooking. We are looking at a sustainable model," Kishen said, adding the facility will occupy an area of 2,000 square feet.