Pune: A two-day national stakeholder’s workshop on ‘Waste to Energy Technologies’ was held at CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune, jointly by CSIR- Central Research Institute and National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-CLRI), Chennai. The workshop was sponsored by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
Ashwini Kumar Nangia, Director, CSIR-NCL, Pune, spoke about the synchronisation of technology institutions, private companies, entrepreneurs and corporations together to work on the integrated solid waste management system.
Dr Sangita Kasture, Scientist, Department of Biotechnology, delivered an agenda address by mentioning the purpose of this workshop. She assured that this workshop would lead to preparing a structure and an action plan on efficient and sustainable waste to energy technology for the future generation.
“The Department has been supporting novel, advanced, sustainable technologies, which need to come out with a strong solution. National stakeholders workshop is a good opportunity for sharing the knowledge and experience to adverse the current issues faced in biodegradable waste management,” she said.
Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, mentioned in her presidential address through video conferencing that there is a need to find out suitable centralised and decentralised waste energy technologies for its effective implementation for 100 per cent success rate of technology.
Dr B Chandrasekaran, Director of CSIR-CLRI also addressed the audience through VC and mentioned in his address that CSIR-CLRI has implemented the first large-scale up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor, a first of its kind in India, for centralised solid waste and tannery wastewater treatment. However, it was reiterated that biogas plants implemented already needs to be perfectly operated continuously to derive its benefits. He further mentioned that CSIR-CLRI implemented six large-scale biogas demonstration plants, funded by Ministry of Non-renewable Energy, which have been successfully operated.
Dr Uday Tekale, State Mission Director, Swachh Maharashtra Mission (Urban), spoke about different perspectives of the programme. He presented two major constituents of the Swachh Maharashtra Mission, one is open defecation free city and other being the Swachh city.
Solid waste management is the basic duty of Urban Local Bodies. There is a huge scope in the sector of waste management. He highlighted that there are certain gaps between the technology development and its implementation in the practical field. This is a good opportunity to bridge the gap through this workshop.
Dr P Shanmugan, Coordinator of this National Stakeholders Workshop on Waste to Energy, said there is a need to find out the suitability of centralised or decentralised biogas technology for its effective implementation based on the threshold capacity that can be optimised to lifetime revenue from this technology. He also presented the vote of thanks to the participants and made an assurance that this workshop would bring out the plan of action for implementing the best demonstration of biogas plant trough Department of Biotechnology, under Swachha Bharat Mission.
