Tuesday, June 26, 2007

ENVIRONMENT-INDIA: Wealth From Waste With Bio-Digesters

Saji Das foresees a time when people in this state, at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula, will compete to get at food waste and other rotting organic rubbish rather than holding their noses and walking away quickly.

Das, who has developed special organic digesters capable of dealing with a variety of garbage, has become a pioneer of sorts in this state which boasts of human development indices that compare with the developed world, but has some way to go when it comes to scientifically managing garbage.

So efficient and clean are the digesters that Biotech, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that he runs, has been named a finalist for the 2007 Ashden Awards in Britain, sometimes called the ‘Green Oscar' for the prestige it carries.
From InterPress Service

Methane gas is a renewable source of energy, which is used for cooking, lighting, running engines and for generation of electricity. The cost involved is low when compared to other fuels, according to Saji Das, Managing Director of Biotech.

Initially, the digesters are filled with `Biotech culture' consisting of water and cow dung to start the digestion phase. Once the microbes are cultured in the plant, it will grow and remain inside the treatment plant.

From The Hindu

HT: TreeHugger