Tenders for bio-CNG plant and materials recovery facility issued for Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu

The Tiruchirappalli City Municipal Corporation has issued tenders to establish a bio-compressed natural gas (CNG) plant and a materials recovery facility (MRF) at the Ariyamangalam dump yard. The third phase of the project includes the installation of a bio-CNG plant on a five-acre plot at the dump yard, along with an MRF to segregate the waste currently being dumped at Ariyamangalam.

The city corporation officials reported that around 11 lakh cubic metres of waste were cleared in phases I and II of the biomining project, which primarily involved the implementation of Material Collection Centres (MCCs) for the safe and organic disposal of waste. Phase III, with an estimated cost of ₹44 crore, is expected to be completed in two years.

In the biomining process, the dump yard is excavated using land movers to separate wet and dry waste. The wet waste is transported to MCCs for composting, while the dry waste is sorted using various techniques, such as magnetic separation and blowing, before being sent to recycling stations for repurposing.

The bio-CNG plant will process approximately 100 tonnes of wet waste daily, converting it into bio-CNG for commercial and industrial use, according to officials.

The Tiruchi civic body had revealed in February 2024 that it wants to establish a bio-CNG plant in the city with the aim of processing the organic degradable waste generated within the city.

Waste to energy plants and waste management models are coming up in different cities of the country to protect the nature and treat the waste as a resource.

Similarly, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is also mulling five new biogas plants by the end of this year that will have a capacity of 100 TPD and will produce about 4,000 kg of biogas every year.