The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Composting or power generation?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 04, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Composting or power generation?

Karthik Subramanian

CHENNAI: Though the city is still far from addressing the question, what would happen after the Corporation puts in place the segregation of garbage at source is an interesting study.

Assuming that it keeps its word on complying with the recommendations of Municipal Solid Waste Handling Rules, 2000, it will have at its dumping grounds several tonnes of segregated biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.

It is a straight answer when it comes to the non-biodegradable waste: the recyclables will be separated and put in the recycle chain; and the hazardous will go to the scientific landfill.

It is with the handling of the biodegradable waste that the options come in: incineration, bio-methanation, landfill, composting and power generation.

While civic activists and scientists, by and large, preferred composting, the administration and politicians opted for power generation. “Energy not viable”

The most compelling argument against power generation is that it is not viable. Almitra Patel, the petitioner in the Supreme Court in the litigation calling for scientific solid waste management practices, argues on her website ( www.almitrapatel.com) that urban biodegradable (compostable) food waste is too precious to be burnt or buried.

“It should be recycled for India’s food security. Its NPK nutrients, micronutrients and rich microbial content ensure full absorption of the synthetic fertiliser with which they are applied. Otherwise 22 to 60 per cent of chemical fertilisers is unabsorbed by plants, and runs off to pollute surface and underground waters. This alone is a good and sufficient reason to rule out other disposal methods,” a paper presented in her website said.

There are also other concerns: the bio-degradable waste produced in India does not have high calorific value like the Western countries where power generation has been demonstrated.

One-shot solution

Bureaucrats, however, argue that composting of bio-degradable waste may not be viable for a city like Chennai, where the quantum of waste is humungous.

A senior official, who was involved in framing the recommendations for the city under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, said it would be difficult to conceive of compost plants for the city. Composting of such a large quantity would require large space and each composting cycle would take 45 days.

There is also a concern that composting might not necessarily be a safe option. If hazardous chemicals are not sifted through, it could lead to the production of a potentially dangerous compost for plants, especially food crops.

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