JOIN USMysore city corporation (MCC) commissioner M R Ravi said he would explore some means to promote domestic bio-gas units for houses in the city, which would not only reduce dependence on LPG but also help in effective waste management.
He was speaking after launching the use of bio-diesel for MCC vehicles at National Institute of Engineering (NIE) here on Monday. The MCC is buying bio-diesel from NIE Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies (NIE-Crest).
NIE-Crest, under financial assistance from the state Bio-Fuel Development Board, has a capacity to process 200 kgs of non-edible oil-seeds and produce 40 litres of bio-diesel.
Ten per cent of the bio-diesel can be blended with regular diesel and the MCC, which has 75 diesel-run vehicles, needs 3,000 litres per month. NIE-Crest has agreed to supply 600 litres per month in the first phase and intends to increase it in future. The cost of the bio-diesel is fixed at Rs 2 less than the market price of regular diesel. Ravi, who visited the bio-gas plant on the premises of NIE, said he would be in constant touch with NIE-Crest and adopt its eco-friendly technologies.
Learning about the plant that uses kitchen waste from the college canteen and in turn supplies bio-gas, the commissioner enquired about the cost for installation and the total savings on consumption of LPG per year.
After learning that the Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens and the Administrative Training Institute have already installed bigger bio-gas plants on their premises, he said the initiative would be first promoted in bigger institutions in the city on an experimental basis.
Director of NIE-Crest S Shyamsundar said a bio-gas unit capable to process 3 kg kitchen waste was ideal for households and can be installed at a cost of Rs 20,000 with the help of the technology developed by the centre. He said the Raichur city municipal council has launched a pilot project using the technology for 12 houses.