Kochi: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday inaugurated a compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Brahmapuram that can process 150 tonnes of source-segregated biodegradable municipal solid waste every day. The facility has been built by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), The Times of India reported.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister said Kochi has become the first city in Kerala to commission a CBG plant for treating biodegradable waste. He said the plant will produce 5.6 tonnes of compressed biogas and 28 tonnes of organic manure daily. Calling it a mutually beneficial project for BPCL and the Kochi corporation, he said it would help address the city’s waste management challenges.
At the plant, waste first undergoes pre-treatment, including removal of plastic and metal, followed by segregation, shredding and mixing with water to form slurry. The slurry is then fed into large digesters where it decomposes without oxygen, producing biogas and digestate. The raw biogas is purified to remove impurities such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, compressed and transported through a dedicated pipeline to the Kochi Refinery for use as fuel. The remaining digestate is processed into solid and liquid organic manure for reuse or sale. The facility has automated systems, safety measures and dedicated power support to ensure stable operations.
Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi was present at the inauguration. He said the plant became a reality through the joint efforts of the state government, the Kochi corporation, BPCL and the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. He added that the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah played an important role in the project. According to him, the ministry is setting up 195 CBG plants across the country, including seven in Kerala.
Local Self-Government Minister M B Rajesh, who presided over the function, said Kerala is turning the Brahmapuram fire incident into an opportunity to move towards waste-free living. He said 90 per cent of the waste heaps at Brahmapuram have been cleared and expressed hope that Kerala will become the first state in the country without dump sites in the coming years. He added that a second CBG plant in Palakkad will be inaugurated within two months and similar facilities will be set up in Kollam, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram and Changanassery.Among those present were Law, Industries and Coir Minister P Rajeeve, BPCL Director (Refineries) with additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Khanna, Kunnathunadu MLA P V Sreenijin, Kochi Mayor Minimol V K, BPCL Kochi Refinery Executive Director Chacko M Jose and LSGD Secretary Anupama T V.
