Sustainable development is the need of the current times. Most of us have studied environmental conservation. Only a few of us inculcate the correct practices in our lives for the protection of the environment. The Hyderabad Bowenpally vegetable market has started an initiative of using vegetable waste as biofuel and electricity.
Use of Electricity and Biogas
The electricity made is used to light up the market. The biogas is used by various vegetable vendors in their stalls. Biogas is eco-friendly and an economic substitute for LPG. The waste collected from the Mandi generates five hundred units of electricity and thirty kilograms of biofuel. They built the entire plant at a cost of approximately two to three crore.
The Layout And Design of the Plant
A Biomethanation plant has been set up for converting vegetable waste into biofuel and electricity. The layout and design for the plan were taken care of by Ahuja Engineering Services. They installed the plant under the guidance of Dr. A Gangagno Kao, chief scientist of CSIR-IICT.
How Bio-methanation Plant Works?
Bio-methanation is the process of making biogas out of vegetable waste. In this process, organic waste is converted through anaerobic conditions using microorganisms. The vegetable waste is shredded. The shredded waste gets changed into a slurry. The slurry is put into large containers or pits where the process of conversion takes place.
Advantages of Installing the Plant
The vegetable market is the largest in the Secunderabad Cantonment area. Around 150 vegetable vendors put up their stalls in the market. The electricity generated can power 120 street lights, 170 shops, and cold storage. Before the plant was installed, the electricity bill used to be approximately 3 to 3.5 lakhs. Now, the bill has been reduced to almost half of what it used to be.
Collective Responsibility of People
People living around the market are supportive of the initiative. Whenever the market does not generate enough vegetable waste, people from nearby households and markets bring in vegetable waste from their own homes. People around the area have started viewing the initiative as a collective responsibility.
Benefits to the Vegetable Vendors
The initiative has helped the poor vegetable vendors to light up their stalls at a relatively low cost. Additionally, awareness has increased among the vegetable vendors. The vendors now try to follow sustainable practices that are good for the environment.
Appreciation by Prime Minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the initiative. In his podcast known as ‘Mann Ki Baat.’ The Prime Minister praised everyone working for this initiative, as it is indigenous and beneficial for the environment. He called the initiative a move towards ‘Waste to Wealth.’
To know more about Bowenpally Vegetable Market, please check – Website
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