Indian Railways commissions first waste to energy plant in Bhubaneswar

Indian Railways has commissioned the country's first governmental waste to energy plant in Mancheswar Carriage Repair workshop at Bhubaneswar under the East Coast Railway zone.

Member, Rolling Stock, Rajesh Agarwal inaugurated the plant on January 22 along with GM, East Coast Railway. The Waste to Energy Plant, having a capacity of 500 kilogram waste per day has been constructed in three months.

"This Waste to Energy Plant, a patented technology called POLYCRACK, is first-of-its-kind in Indian Railways and fourth in India. It is the world's first patented heterogeneous catalytic process which converts multiple feedstocks into hydrocarbon liquid fuels, gas, carbon and water," said the Ministry of Railways in a statement.

"Polycrack plant can be fed with all types of plastic, petroleum sludge, un-segregated MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) with moisture up to 50 per cent, e-waste, automobile fluff, organic waste including bamboo, garden waste, etc., and jatropha fruit and palm bunch. Waste generated from Mancheswar Carriage Repair Workshop, Coaching Depot and Bhubaneswar Railway Station will be feeder material for this plant," further reads the statement.

"The process is a closed-loop system and does not emit any hazardous pollutants into the atmosphere. The combustible, non-condensed gases are re-used for providing energy to the entire system and thus, the only emission comes from the combustion of gaseous fuels. The emissions from the combustion are found to be much less than prescribed environmental norms. This process will produce energy in the form of Light Diesel Oil which is used to light furnaces," said the ministry.

The total cost of plant installation was Rs 1.79 crore and income from the byproducts is estimated to be Rs 17.5 lakh per annum. The maintenance cost of the plant is Rs 10.4 lakh per annum.