Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates compressed biogas plant at Brahmapuram

Kochi: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated a compressed biogas (CBG) plant , that could process 150 tonnes of source-segregated biodegradable municipal solid waste (MSW) per day, at Brahmapuram on Friday. The plant is constructed by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL). The chief minister said that Kochi is the first city in the state to commission a CBG plant to treat biodegradable waste. "It will generate 5.6 tonnes of compressed biogas and 28 tonnes of organic manure daily. The project is mutually beneficial to both BPCL and the corporation," he said. The waste undergoes pre-treatment, including removal of non-biodegradable materials such as plastic and metal, segregation, shredding and mixing with water to form slurry, before being fed into large anaerobic digesters, where it undergoes decomposition in the absence of oxygen. This process results in the generation of biogas and digestate as by-products. The raw biogas is cleaned to remove impurities such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, then compressed and transported through a dedicated pipeline to Kochi Refinery for use as fuel. The digestate is processed and separated into solid and liquid organic manure for reuse or sale. The plant is equipped with advanced automation, safety systems and dedicated power infrastructure to ensure stable and efficient operations. The project will provide a long-term solution to city's municipal waste management challenges by converting waste into clean energy and useful by-products. The plant was inaugurated in the presence of Union minister of state for petroleum and natural gas and tourism Suresh Gopi. The minister said the plant became a reality through the collaborative efforts of state govt, corporation, BPCL and Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas. He emphasised that the vision and leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Amit Shah also played a crucial role in realisation of CBG plant. "The ministry of petroleum and natural gas is setting up 195 CBG plants across the country to promote compressed biogas, of which seven are coming up in the state," he said. Local self-govt minister M B Rajesh, who presided over the ceremony, stated that Kerala is turning the disastrous Brahmapuram fire into an opportunity to move into a new era of waste-free living. He said that 90% of the waste ‘hills' in Brahmapuram were removed and Kerala is set to become the first state in India without dump sites in the coming years. The second plant in Palakkad will be inaugurated in two months. Plants will also be established in Kollam, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram and Changanassery, he said. P Rajeeve, minister of law, industries and coir and Sanjay Khanna, director (Refineries) with additional charge of chairman and managing director, BPCL, were among the dignitaries. Adv P V Sreenijin, MLA Kunnathunadu, mayor Minimol V K, Chacko M Jose, executive director, BPCL Kochi Refinery and Anupama T V, secretary LSGD, were among the attendees.