It’s not rocket science, but basic stuff. Now your kitchen waste can provide you with free gas for an investment of just Rs 15,000.
Already, two households in Bengaluru are getting their gas through this method, which was developed in Pune a few years ago.
The State Biofuel Task Force (SBTF) is planning to take up the project on a large scale for farmers across the state.
The experts feel that any big house in Bengaluru can adopt this method to save money and get rid of organic waste.
A proposal will be sent to the state government seeking funds for installation of 10,000 such plants across the state.
In fact the SBTF plans to waive Rs 10,000 for farmers who come forward and are ready to invest Rs 5,000.
The model can be built in two days. All it needs is a cement floor and ducts to hold kitchen waste, which then requires to be compressed.
When the waste is compressed, it releases gases, including methane, in large quantities. About five kilos of organic waste from the kitchen can produce gas, which needs to be cooled for more than two hours before use.
“The local plumbers in each taluk HQ can be trained to install the model for farmers. Several farmers who are dependent on firewood for their daily fuel can get round-the-clock gas using the waste generated in their homes. About 50 such installations will be set up in each taluka by the end of this year,” said Y.B. Ramakrishna, chairman of SBTF.
The SBTF officials said that the first biofuel plants were installed in many parts of Maharashtra and under the NABARD scheme, biogas plants were installed in Hassan and Bellary.
“Thousands of farmers have switched over to kitchen waste-based biogas plants in Maharashtra. But local ideas are not always encouraged here and instead we wait for MNCs to come and set up something similar,” commented an official wryly.
Mr Ramakrishna pointed out that residents with larger spaces can try the biogas model even in Bengaluru.
“The present facility is at Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Sciences and two households are already self-sufficient in getting cooking gas through their waste. There is no stench and it is a low-maintenance plant,” Mr Ramakrishna said underlining the advantages.
