KOCHI: Giving a boost to effective waste management in the city, the construction of the compressed biogas plant (CBG) at the Brahmapuram waste dumping yard has been completed.
The plant which has a capacity to treat 75 tonnes of biodegradable waste daily can process the waste from Kochi Corporation and nearby local bodies. The treatment of biodegradable waste and production of compressed gas are expected to begin by the end of April, following the trial run which began a few days ago.
The capacity of the plant is expected to be increased to 150 tonnes per day gradually. The CBG is being set up by the Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) at a cost of Rs 90 crore on the land recovered after biomining. The gas produced will be transported to the refinery via a pipeline.
“The construction of the second biodigester will be completed within a few days. Although the construction period was expected to be 18 months, we could complete the work six months early. The corporation authorities gave all permissions and provided all assistance for the timely completion of the work.
Whenever there were obstacles, the BPCL management and the Kochi Corporation were able to resolve the issues as soon as possible,” Mayor M Anilkumar said.
BPCL Kochi Refinery’s proposal to set up an MSW (municipal solid waste)-based compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Brahmapuram was approved by the state government in November 2023 to solve the long-standing problem of waste management and fire outbreaks at Brahmapuram.
Meanwhile, the construction of a biomedical waste treatment plant with a capacity of three tonnes per day that can facilitate the incineration of sanitary waste, including soiled sanitary napkins and adult diapers, is also in progress at Brahmapuram. Recently, Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan visited the Brahmapuram site and reviewed the progress of work.
