This is India's first Bio-CNG plant that fuels Indore's buses

Bio CNG technology can deal with air pollution at 3 levels by curtailing methane emissions, warding off waste burning and phasing out fossil fuel-powered vehicles. Bio CNG, also known as Compressed Biogas (CBG), is an upgraded version of the humble biogas compressed at high pressure in cylinders which is similar in chemical properties to CNG derived from petroleum sources. This is then sent off to filling stations to be used as fuel in vehicles. But despite economic and environmental promises, this industry is slow to pick up. Let us understand why, by studying the challenges faced by Asia’s largest Bio-CNG plant based on municipal solid waste/garbage (the biggest otherwise is in Punjab) in India’s cleanest city, Indore.

This is Devguradiya, earlier known as Indore’s dumping ground for almost 70 years. The particulate matter pollution was visibly high in the area not to forget the foul odour caused due to hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and ammonia. Although the trenching ground was replaced by a city forest and the Gobar Dhan Bio CNG plant. the putrefying odour of garbage still marks the area.

Gobar Dhan plant, built on 15 acres of land with an investment of Rs 150 crores, processes 550 tons of the 700 tons per day (TPD) of biodegradable waste in the city. The plant proposes to improve the city’s air quality by mitigating 130,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Gobar Dhan plant was set up by the Indore Municipal corporation (IMC) in partnership with the private company Ever Enviro Resource Management Pvt Ltd. IMC is supposed to supply 90% segregated waste to the plant for which the company has to pay them an annual royalty of Rs 2.5 crores. The Corporation buys bio-CNG from the plant at a rate that is Rs 5 less than the market price of CNG and uses it as a fuel to run its 146 buses. The Indore Municipal Corporation has already earned Rs 8.5 crores in carbon credits by replacing diesel buses with CNG. Also, half the gas produced is sold to Avantika Gas Ltd, the CNG and PNG supplier of the Indore region, at Rs 56/kg.

Besides bio-CNG, the plant generates 15 tons of carbon dioxide and 100 tons of organic manure as byproducts. While bottling of carbon dioxide for industrial use is still in the pipeline, the company sells their manure at a net rate of Rs 1,800 per ton. There is a plan to inject the compressed biogas produced in Gobar Dhan into Avantika’s city gas distribution network via a pipeline. This will not only cut gas compression costs but also reduce emissions through transportation and the 163 industries in the city

Gobar Dhan has its own share of challenges as it implements a technology that is still nascent in India. Indore is a pioneer in this technology and will have only its own experiences to learn from.

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Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi. We publish news and analysis on issues that deal with sustainable development, which we scan through the eyes of science and environment.

[tusharsaikhedkar]

The kind of forward-thinking Indore have in regard to cleanliness, waste managment and sanitization is really compendable. It almost give sense of any european city or american city.
Kudos to Indore Municipal Corporation, these guys are the real heros.

[amazinghardik]

Indories have basic sense of segregating waste into dry and wet waste. Which makes it even more easier for municipal corporation to implement such technology. This civic sense lacks in even the metro cities of our country. Kudos from a gujarat. We need to learn from you. 🙌💯

[utkarshkothimbire]

This initiative is example for all other municipal corporations in India. Mitigating waste dumping land problem in of prime importance in Indian society becuase of ever increasing waste from metropolitian cities.
Mumbai, Pune and PCMC these corporations can easily afford this plant(even for experimentation pourpose).
Hope all other munciple corporations takes inspiration from this exmaple.
Thank to Down To Erth for making this video.

[madandu]

Kudos to all the people who envisaged Gobar-Dhan venture and making it successful.
Thank you for sharing such useful info.

[manojkumarprajapati]

This is really amazing to see such plants running in India.

[TIGERZYK]

Gobar Dhan Bio Gas plants needs to open its branches in New Delhi especially near the mountain sized dumpyards located in the areas like Ghazipur and Wazirabad since these garbage mounds emitts loads of green house gases.

[mukulbajpai]

Every city needs one of these. Those with population is above a million desperately needs them.

[MrPrajwal_The_First]

this channel needs to go international!! the world needs this.

[Ar-zlrp]

We need this type of plant in every district of the country

[fobudomh]

Why is this not implemented at mass scale throughout the country?

[OcienOnce]

I think bio CNG is better than hydrogen in many respects.😊

[SuperVinod]

This method should be replicated in all the districts of India... Pollution, Plastic Waste & foul Smell is increasing day by day...
Hope State Govt's will replicate this model..

[anuradha]

Indore Is only one city to be developed in technology wise.
Indore municipal corporation has to come forward share technology to various municipal corporation in India, so there will Over all development in country.

[getviveksingh]

Awesome!! How many other cities have such facility?? Let's make this a pan India phenomena..

[dreadfulbodyguard]

Everybody watching this video, write a email to your municipal corporation; tagging MLA and MP and ask them to implement similar system in your municipality. Also, ask your friends, social circle to do. If required, go visit your MP and ask him to implement this system.
Authorities will work on this only if they see public demand for it.

[hetarthkamdar]

Excellent case study on waste management and promoting a circular economy

[michasosnowski]

Hope the numbers add up and this is as great as it seems. Good luck with the project!

[lohith_sai]

CNG bus transport which comes from Waste..! That's awesome

[vakudibeardefender]

This was an excellent video. A lot of information. Very nice. I hope a lot of people will watch this and improve their understanding about the world.

[suparshwashetty]

It's an eye opener, for other city municipality corporations..., Why other's can't act.