Green power: PMPML runs buses on fuel generated from waste
Pune municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar said, PMC has set up a plant at Baner that generates CBG from wet garbage. The capacity of the plant is 125 metric tonnes of biowaste per day and PMC plans to increase it to 200 metric tonnes
The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) on Friday plied buses running on eco-friendly compressed biogas (CBG) generated from city’s waste on a pilot basis.
Launching the project, Pune municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar said, “Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has set up a plant at Baner that generates CBG from wet garbage. The capacity of the plant is 125 metric tonnes of biowaste per day and PMC plans to increase it to 200 metric tonnes.”
A statement issued by PMC reads, “Instead of CNG, the public transport utility buses will run on CBG. It is a win-win situation as fuel is generated from waste and will help address Pune’s garbage situation. If the project is successful, other cities could also follow it.”
According to PMC, 10-15 buses will run on CBG in the first trial. The CBG, filled in special cylinders, is supplied to major oil marketing company (OMC) Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOCL) Somatane fuel station in Pune for PMPML buses. The public transport utility plans to run 100 buses on CBG in future.
PMC additional commissioners Ravindra Binwade and Kunal Khemnar, IOCL general manager Ravindra KR and Noble Exchange (NEX) officers were present at the launch of bus operations.
Pune-based Noble Exchange (NEX) is supplying CBG created out of city waste to buses run by PMPML. Bio-CNG, also known as CBG, could replace conventional fossil fuel-based CNG as an affordable fuel for automotive, industrial and commercial use.
According to the civic officials, PMC vehicles deliver pre-segregated and non-compacted organic waste to NEX segregation facility at Baner for segregation and processing. Biogas is produced through a process of anaerobic decomposition, generating methane content of about 94-96 per cent.