HDMC to turn wet waste into biogas in a first for Karnataka

Hubballi,

The Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) is set to be come the first urban local body in Karnataka to generate biogas from wet waste, marking a significant milestone in scientific and sustainable solid waste management. The twin cities generate nearly 140-150 tonnes of wet waste everyday. While the civic body has adopted the wind row composting method to convert biodegradable waste into organic manure, the process is time-consuming and has limited its ability to scientifically process the increasing volume of wet waste.

The HDMC had also launched an awareness drive urging residents to compost wet waste at the household level. However, the initiative failed to achieve the desired results. With the volume of wet waste continuing to rise, the corporation struggled to dispose of it efficiently. Recently, the HDMC successfully completed a trial run of a plant that converts dry waste into torrefied charcoal, providing a sustainable solution for dry waste management. Officials are now hopeful that the proposed biogas plant will offer a similar long-term solution for wet waste.

Biogas plant on 10 acres To address the challenge, the HDMC, with support from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), is preparing to establish a biogas plant on the outskirts of Hubballi with thecapacity to produce five tonnes of biogas per day from wet waste. The corporation has signed an agreement with BPCL for the project and has allotted 10 acres of land from its 67acre waste management site near Shivalli village. BPCL has already floated tenders for the project, and land-levelling work has commenced.

The plant is being established at an estimated cost ofRs 60 crore and is expected to be completed within a year. To generate five tonnes of bio gas daily, the plant will require around 145 tonnes of wet waste every day. The HDMC currently collects nearly 650 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, of which around 40 percent is wet waste, ensuring an adequate supply of feedstock for the facility.Officials said the plant also has the flexibility to process more than 145 tonnes of wet waste if required.

The slurry generated after biogas production will be supplied to farmers for use as organic manure.Speaking to News Trail, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi described the project as an ambitious initiative aimed at making the twin cities a model in scientific waste management. "When I was the Union Coal Minister, a project to convert dry waste into green charcoal was sanctioned. At that time, it was also decided to scientifically process wet waste.

With the dry waste-to-energy plant now ready to become operational, the wet waste-to biogas plant is expected to be completed within the next few months. Hubballi and Dharwad are moving towards scientific disposal of both wet and dry waste. At the same time, biomining of legacy waste has also begun," he said. Vijay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner (Development), HDMC, said the corporation has intensified the implementation of source segregation across the twin cities. "The HDMC is collecting wet and dry waste separately, and strict action is being taken against those who dump waste in open spaces and along roadsides.