As many as 12 bio-methanation plants would be set up in different industries and processing plants in the country within the next two years on a trial basis under the aegis of the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy sources.
Addressing the participants at a two-day workshop on bio-energy for industries, which concluded here on Tuesday, H S Mukunda, chairman of the aerospace engineering of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore said one could observe the performance of the bio-methanated plants at Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Ugar sugar mill at northern Karnataka and one at Pravar Nagar, Maharashtra.
Talking about the advantage of these plants, Mukunda said several sugar factories, manufacturing export quality sugar, produced more than seven-and-a-half per cent hydrogen sulphide as they used larger amounts of sulphur compounds. Hydrogen sulphide scrubbers were needed as an emergency measure . The techno-economics had been worked out and the payback period was less than 12 months, he said. V Bakthavatsalam, managing director, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (Ireda), said for the Ninth five year plan, 25 per cent of Ireda's finance had been allocated for bio-energy technologies, identified by them.
