Strategic Action Plan - International Environmental Technology Centre

Strategic Action Plan Report
3. Treatment Technologies: Pune city typically produces 1093 MT/day of Municipal Solid Waste,
which constitutes of 710 MTPD of wet waste and 382 MTPD of dry waste. The wet waste is
characterized the presence of organic, biodegradable substances and high moisture content (60-65%).
The high level of moisture content as well as the presence of biodegradable substances makes biological
treatment the most suitable means of treating the wet waste. A comparative analysis of the decentralized
biological treatment options demonstrated the high area requirements coupled with low net earnings as
the primary hindrances towards the application of aerobic composting in urban areas. Biomethanation
plants seem to be a more preferred alternative for decentralized treatment.
Centralized treatment processes primarily include RDF and plasma-arc gasification as the possible
alternatives. The feasibility of a successful RDF plant depends upon the calorific value of the MSW.
Plastics and paper comprise the major waste components that add to the calorific value of the waste.
However, uncontrolled combustion of plastics, especially chlorinated plastics leads to emissions of
carcinogenic substances such as dioxins and furans. The possible solution for this issue, is de-chlorination
of plastics or advanced segregation and sorting of waste to remove chlorinated plastics. However, the
material recovery technology to be adopted in order to achieve such advanced sorting are expensive and
need high end expertise. Hence the application of RDF in terms of Pune needs a careful consideration in
terms of the trade-off between the calorific value of the waste and the expenses to be incurred for safe
sorting and treatment of waste.
With respect to the inherent problems of toxic emissions related to RDF process, the plasma-arc
gasification process which operates at much elevated temperatures provides a more realistic and better
solution. However, looking at the dry waste quantities generated in Pune (approximately 382 MT) the
economic viability of the project needs to be assessed.
4. Landfill Management: Pune city disposes its solid waste at Urali Devachi, located at 20 km from the
city. The disposal site is not a sanitary landfill and hence leads to possibilities of land and ground water
contamination. The existing landfill site will have to be remediated and converted to a secured landfill
site. Boreholes will have to be drilled for (i) recovery of leachate samples from the base of the landfill and
collection of subsoil samples beneath the base of the landfill for evaluation of permeability and soil
properties. Also recovery of waste samples for waste characterization should be carried out. Boreholes
should be drilled for each acre of landfill area. The quality of leachate samples have to be compared with
(a) the ground water quality in existing borewells 2 km away from the landfill and (b) the Central
Pollution Control Board (CPCB) norms for limits of contaminants in leachate. If the leachate quality and
the permeability of the subsoil strata is observed to be satisfactory, the existing landfill can continue to
operate with bi-annual monitoring of leachate quality in the drilled boreholes till the time a new landfill
site is developed.
If the leachate quality is observed to be of poor quality with respect to the local ground water quality or
with respect to the CPCB norms, steps will have to be taken to close the existing landfill site immediately
and remedial measures adopted. All future landfilling will be undertaken in properly designed and
constructed new landfills.
The Secured Landfill Facility has to be designed as per the norms given in the Municipal Waste
(Management & Handling) Rules, 1999. The seven essential components of a MSW landfill are:
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