India is all set to go for its first waste-to-hydrogen project

India is all set to go for its first waste-to-hydrogen project

Subject: Environment

In the news:

• Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has partnered with business enterprise The Green Billions (TGBL) to manage its waste and generate it into useable green hydrogen. TGBL’s special purpose vehicle or subsidiary, Variate Pune Waste to Energy Private Ltd, will be undertaking the work.

India’s first waste-to-hydrogen project:

• The new facility for generating hydrogen from waste will solve two major problems:
  • Inefficient waste management and
  • carbon emissions.
• Variate Pune Waste to Energy Private Ltd will be managing and utilising the municipal waste of 350 tonnes per day (TPD) for generating hydrogen for 30 years.
• This waste will comprise biodegradable, non-biodegradable and domestic hazardous waste.
• The hydrogen generated at the facility will be utilised locally to help the city lower its emissions.
• With this project, Pune city can reduce up to 2.5 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent, over 3.8 million tonnes of waste would be diverted from the landfill/dumping site and more than 180,000 estimated households will be served directly.

The technology used in the plant:

• Optical sensor technology will be used for the purpose.
• The Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) from the waste would later be utilised to generate hydrogen using plasma gasification technology.
• The technology has been developed while closely working with the Bhabha Atomic Research Institute (BARC) and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
• It is estimated that 150TPD RDF and 9MT tonnes of H2 would be generated out of 350 TPD waste.

Benefits of the waste-to-hydrogen plant:

• Production of green energy sources
• Efficient and sustainable waste management
• Reduction in carbon footprint
• Step to fulfil India’s climate goals
• Reduction in methane emissions with the reduction in landfill usage

Viability of Waste-to-hydrogen plants:

• Waste-to-Energy plants are viable only when the plant can process at least 300 TPD.
• WTE plants should be set up in large cities with a population above 2 million.
• The project will manage 350TPD waste for Pune, which has a population of more than 7 million.
• Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy & Infrastructure Technology (MAHAPREIT), a Maharashtra government undertaking, has proposed to offtake the hydrogen generated at the facility and develop logistical infrastructure for hydrogen transportation to industries for this.