Why in news? The Kerala government recently announced the State’s first waste-to-energy project in Kozhikode called as Project Kozhikode.

Highlights:

What do waste-to-energy projects do?

• Waste-to-energy projects use non-recyclable dry waste to generate electricity.
• The process increases the State’s power generation capacity and eases the solid waste management (SWM) burden.

How waste to energy plants generate the power ?

• Generally, solid waste in India is majorly consist of biodegradable organic waste, that can be converted into organic compost or biogas.
• Followed by non-biodegradable dry waste and silt, stones, and drain waste.
• Of the non-biodegradable dry waste, only 2-3% — including hard plastics, metals, and e-waste is recyclable.
• The remainder consists of low-grade plastic, rags, and cloth that can’t be recycled.
• Waste-to-energy projects can consume only non-recyclable dry waste.
• They are also expected to use segregated non-recyclable dry waste which is the only type of waste with a sufficiently high calorific value.

Why do waste-to-energy plants fail?

• The low calorific value of solid waste in India due to improper segregation. The calorific value of mixed Indian waste is about 1,500 kcal/kg, which is not suitable for power generation.
• Biodegradable waste has high moisture content and cannot be used for power generation.
• Segregation (ideally at the source, if not at the processing plant) of dried non-recyclable dry waste should be streamlined to ensure the waste coming to the facility has this calorific value.
• High costs of energy production as the cost of generating power from waste is around 7-8/unit, while the cost of buying power from coal, hydroelectric, and solar power plants is around Rs3-4/unit.
• Many waste-to-energy projects have failed because of improper assessments, high expectations, improper characterisation studies, and other on-ground conditions.

Way Forward

• Setting up waste-to-energy projects is complex and needs the full support of the municipality, the State and the people.
• To overcome its various challenges, the municipality must ensure that only non-biodegradable dry waste is sent to the plant and separately manage the other kinds of waste.
• Importantly, the municipality or the department responsible for SWM should be practical about the high cost of power generation, and include the State electricity department, perhaps as a tripartite agreement between the municipality, the plant operator, and the power distribution agency.
• It is also crucial to conduct field studies and learn from the experience of other projects.