7.5 MT CO2 emission prevented through biomining in Perungudi dump yard

CHENNAI: Around 7.50 metric tonnes (MT) of carbon dioxide emissions have been prevented in the environment by refuse-derived fuel (RDF) which is used as an alternative fuel to coal in cement plants during the bio-mining process at the Perungudi dump yard.

At least 35 lakh cubic meters of waste dumped over 30 years in the Perungudi dump yard of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has been divided into six projects for bio-mining, recycling, and processing of the solid waste dumped in an area of about 250 acres.

The bio-mining work started on October 12, 2022, with an estimated cost of Rs 350 crores. The contract tenure of the project is three years, and the work is expected to be completed by March 2024, noted the official release.

Almost 57 percent of the work has been completed so far, of which 19.66 lakh cubic meters of solid waste have been bio-mined.

About 1.05 lakh tonnes of RDF, is scientifically used to segregate plastic items from the garbage dumped, and sent to cement plants to use RDF as an alternative fuel to coal. The bio-mining process, it has prevented carbon dioxide emissions into the environment.

Recently, the GCC has obtained administrative permission from the government to carry out the bio-mining project in the Kodungaiyur dump yard. An estimated cost of Rs 641 crore has been allocated for the project, and the work is likely to begin soon.

The dump yard is spread over an area of 343 acres of which 252 acres have been used to dump waste for the past 40 years.

At least 66.52 lakh MT of solid waste was dumped in the Kodugaiyur dump yard. Now, for the bio-mining project, the waste will be segregated into six bins.