Varanasi: India's first green coal plant to produce coal or charcoal from waste will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with a host of other projects during his upcoming trip to Varanasi later this month. PM Modi is expected to inaugurate a total of 16 projects and lay foundation stones for seven others during the occasion.
The plant has been commissioned by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in collaboration with Municipal Corporation, Varanasi. Under this project, 200 tonnes of green coal are produced from 600 tonnes of waste. After two successful trials, this plant will now be inaugurated by PM Modi.
This is the first such plant in the country to produce green coal from agricultural residue and municipal solid waste. The bio-coal produced in the plant is considered as a sustainable alternative to the existing conventional coal that is polluting in nature. Plans are now afoot to launch similar initiatives in other parts of the country.
The plant is operated by Macawber Beekay. Chandroday Singh, senior general manager of Macawber Beekay said that the exercise was started with the aim of taking forward the cleanliness mission by eliminating garbage piles in Varanasi. After completing two trials in 2022 and 2023, the plant is now completely ready for coal manufacturing. The plant can handle 600 tonnes of garbage discharged from Varanasi every day.
The green coal produced here will be used by NTPC for power generation and if needed, it can also be used at the commercial level.
Explaining the process, Singh said vehicles come here after collecting wastes from different parts of Vanarasi city. On dumping the garbage in a pit, the vehicles leave. After which, the wastes are dumped into a hopper with the help of a crane. The moisture present inside the waste is removed by pre-heating and then ballistic separators are used for segregating the soil, iron, copper and other materials from the wastes. After segregating all the waste, it is converted into a powder-form under the Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) process.
The waste is given a thermal treatment at a temperature of 250 to 300 degrees resulting in formation of small black coloured ash having coal-like properties. Then, it is cleaned further with a sieve. After which the charcoal is mixed with certain amounts of binder and water and then dried. Finally, green coal is formed.
Singh said that the entire process is indigenous. "We prepared the plant in Rajasthan and installed it in Vanarasi. It is the first project in the country to produce green coal that is 100 percent pollution-free," Singh said.
The municipal health officer of the Municipal Corporation said that the project has been started in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation. "We provided space and this is the best way to dispose wastes," he said.
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