Secunderabad: Soon, vegetable waste will power Bowenpally market yard

SECUNDERABAD: Vegetable waste at the Bowenpally market yard will soon be used to generate electricity as a new biogas plant is set to be operational from this month.
The biogas plant is being set at a cost of Rs 3 crore as part of a joint initiative by department of biotechnology (DBT) and state government. Of the total amount, DBT released Rs 2 crore, while the rest will be provided by the government.
According to officials, the plant, once operational, will treat up to 10 tons of vegetable waste and generate 1,000 units of power per month, which will be sufficient for the electricity requirement of the market yard.“Every month we cough up Rs 2 lakh - Rs 3 lakh towards electricity bills. Once the biogas plant is functional, we will use the vegetable waste and be able to save money which can be utilised in establishing other facilities at the marketyard,” said an official from the Bowenpally market yard, adding that a proposal will be sent to the agriculture ministry on the expansion of the market yard.
Designed by a team of scientists from the Indian Institute Chemical Technology, the vegetable waste will go through a conveyor belt into a storage pit. From there, the waste will be transferred to the solid waste treatment plant. Once the waste is treated, it will be transferred to the energy generator which will then supply power to the entire market yard.
The plant is expected to save close to Rs 40 lakh annually, the amount that the market yard spends towards electricity bills and in clearing the vegetable waste. It may be recalled that a similar biogas plant was inaugurated by GHMC at Deepthisrinagar transfer station, Chandanagar, in October this year.