Waste to Energy has significant potential in India but has so far been underutilized. The country generates over 150,000 tons of municipal solid waste per day but currently only exploits around 24 MW of the estimated 1460 MW available from waste-to-energy projects. Several cities have attempted waste-to-energy plants but many have failed, primarily due to lack of segregated waste collection and financial issues. To better utilize waste-to-energy potential, India needs to focus on primary waste collection, segregation, increasing private sector participation, and bridging gaps between policy and implementation.

1. Waste to Energy-India
Kishlay Kumar
IIT Kanpur, India

2. Content
• Why we need it globally
• Indian Scenario
• Generation of MSW in Indian cities
• Types of waste management practices
• Potential of Wt-E in India
• Global MSWM & Indian policy
• Current Status
• Why many cities failed?
• Measures to be taken
• References

3. Why we need it Globally?
• The amount of municipal solid waste (MSW),is growing even faster than the rate of
urbanisation.
• 10 years ago, 0.64 kg of MSW/person per day and in (2012) estimates that these amounts have
increased to 1.2 kg per person per day
• MSW directly proportional to GDP. The highest production is found in (OECD) countries, with an
average of 2.2 kg/capita/day
• Open dumping is responsible for 10% of global methane emission
Waste collection technology related to income Waste collection rate by income

4. Indian Scenario
Third largest economy (PPP)
• Industrialization, Urbanization (31%)
2nd Largest population in world
17.1% population growth rate in last decade
Cities are unable to cope up
Lack of amenities like-
• Sewage system
• Drainage system
• Solid waste management system ( 0.44 kg/day in 2001
to 0.5 kg/day in 2011). 53 cities with a million plus
population, together account for 86,000 TPD out of the
The total Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated in
India (188,500) TPD
Most common practice is landfilling which
produces
• GNGs (Green house gases) and leachateShare of state & UTs in urban waste production

5. Generation of MSW in Indian cities
The projected urban population percentage will be 33.4% of the total by the year 2026.
In India MSWM continues to remain one of the most neglected areas of urban development
Solid waste generated annually has been increased with an annual growth rate of 4.25%, (reach up
to 300 million tons by 2047)
Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 (MoEF)
• endorses the accountability of the municipal authorities to build up appropriate solid waste
management system and
• provide suitable sites for controlled disposal and sustainable treatment of waste in a city.
But, in most of the Indian cities, municipal authorities lack suitable strategies, infrastructure and
financial resources for organized and sustainable solid waste management. Therefore, more than
90% of solid waste is directly disposed off on land in an unsystematic manner, mainly in open
dumps and poorly managed landfills

6. Types of waste management practices
Technology Advantages Disadvantages
Anaerobic Digestion - No power, compact, small scale
- Better gas trapping
- Control GHG emission
- No bad odor, fly menace
- Not for less organic wastes
- Waste segregation
Landfill gas recovery - Least cost option
- Gas –thermal or electricity
- Natural resources recycled
- Marshy land to useful land
- Surface runoff during rainfall
causes pollution
- Soil and groundwater may get
polluted by the leachate
- Spontaneous explosion due to
methane gas build up
- Large land area required
Incineration - Suitable for high calorific value
- Noiseless & odorless
- Low land requirement
- Can be located within city limits,
reducing transportation costs
- Hygienic
- Least suited for aqueous, high
moisture content, low calorific
value and chlorinated waste
- Particulate emissions, SOx, NOx,
chlorinated compounds, ranging
from HCL to dioxins
- High capital and O&M costs
Pyrolysis/
Gasification
- Production of fuel gas/oil, which can
be used for various purposes
- Control of pollution superior as
compared to incineration
- energy recovery may suffer in
waste with excessive moisture
- High viscosity pyrolysis oil may be
problematic for its burning and
transportation

7. Potential of Wt-E in India
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
State-wise energy recovery potential of MSW in India (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy)
Total=1467 MW

8. Global MSWM & Indian policy
Various financial incentives and other eligibility criteria as proposed by MNRE for participation
in waste to energy projects –
Financial assistance is provided as-
• interest subsidy for commercial projects
• on the capital cost for demonstration projects that are innovative in terms of generation of
power from municipal/ industrial wastes
• for carrying out studies on waste to energy projects, covering full costs of such studies
• to municipal corporations for supplying garbage free of cost and for providing land
Incentives given to the state nodal agencies for promotion, co-ordination and monitoring of
such projects
Assistance is given in terms of training courses, workshops and seminars and awareness
generation
Waste to energy has become a preferred method of rubbish disposal in the EU,
and there are now 420 plants in Europe equipped to provide heat and electricity to
more than 20 million people
Germany ranks top in terms of importing rubbish, ahead of Sweden, Belgium and
the Netherlands
Recycling revolution” happening in Sweden –less than one per cent of Sweden's
household garbage ends up in landfills today (in Helsingborg one plant produces
enough power to satisfy 40 per cent of the city’s heating needs)

9. Current Status
Installation of
quite a few RDF
plants at
Hyderabad(6.6M
W), Guntur and
Vijaywada
(6MW). Currently
none of these
plants are in use
One of the first larges scale
anaerobic digestion plants
was setup in Lucknow, to
generate 6MW of electricity,
but failed due to the lack of
source separation.
A15 MW waste
to energy
project has been
established by
an Australian
company,
financed by SBI
and Canara Bank
The first waste
incineration plant was set
up at Timarpur which was
out of operation within 6
months.The latest
development is the setup
of an other incineration
plant at Okhlaland fill
site, which has designed
capacity of 16MW
One of the frontrunner in
Wt-E. Anaerobic digestion
is used chemical plant,
Ankleshwar to generate 2
MW of power. A 0.5 MW
capacity power plant at
sewage treatment plant in
Surat. Many other such
small scale plants
One of the frontrunner
Successfully
implemented many
plants and pilot projects
in Mumbai, Pune,
Nashik. Incineration
plant was put up at
BARC, Trombay, to burn
institutional waste.

10. Why many cities failed?
According to MNRE out of the 1460 MW of power available, India is able to tap and exploit only 24 MW
( 1.64% of the total potential)
India has always been lagging in this field owing to reasons -
• Waste-to-Energy is still a new concept in the country
• Most of the proven and commercial technologies in respect of urban wastes are required to be
imported
• The costs of the projects’ (like - biomethanation) technology are high
• Municipal Corporations/ Urban Local Bodies are not able to segregated municipal solid waste is
generally not available at the plant sitee.g.- 6MW capacity plant in Lucknow)
• Lack of financial resources with Municipal Corporations/Urban Local Bodies.
• Lack of conducive policy guidelines from State Governments in respect of allotment of land, supply of
garbage and power purchase.
The initial failures of waste to energy technologies have turned people against the technology, which
has turned out to be a key barrier in development today

11. Measures to be taken
• There is a need for micro or locality base plans
• Primary collection i.e. door to door collection and segregation at house hold level
• Increasing participation ratio of civil society in the MSWM through conducting capacity building
programme and awareness campaign.
• Encourage and promote private participation in MSWM and involvement of people and private
sector through NGOs could improve the efficiency of MSWM
• Technical up-gradation and capacity improvement of existing disposal sites
• Bridge the gap between policy and their implementation with proper MSWM system

12. References
• EAI. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
〈http://www.eai.in/ref/ae/wte/concepts.html〉; 2011.
• Manual on municipal solid waste. Ministry of Urban Development, Central Public Health
and Environmental Engineering Organization, New Delhi; 2000
• Waste to energy status in India: A short review – Pandey et. Al
• An overview for exploring the possibilities of energy generation from municipal solid
waste (MSW) in Indian scenario - Singh et. al