Govt to set up plant generating fuel from garbage

Patna, July 10 (UNI) Bihar would set up a 25 metric tonne (MT) Eco Friendly Plastic Fuel plant in Patna at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crores.

Urban Development Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey told newspersons here today that following an administrative approval the process for installation of the plant would be initiated at the earliest. He said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had agreed with the idea as it would help the state capital in getting rid of the garbage, specially plastic.

He said the plant would convert waste plastic into liquid hydrocarbons through the process invented by the head of the department of Applied Chemistry of G H Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur, Alka Jadgaonkar who demonstrated her skill before the minister. The 'wonder woman' has generated fuel from most polluting elements like plastic, polyster, nylon and synthetic cloth.

The non bio-degradable elements are converted into most sought after petroleum products like industrial fuel. Waste Plastic Management and Research Company-Nagpur owned by Jadgaonkar is currently producing 22,000 litres of industrial fuel and 3.5 tonne of gas per day by using 25 metric tonnes of plastic waste. The company is selling this industrial fuel product at the rate of Rs 20 per litre to the industrial units.

Inspired by the invention and that too at a cheap rate, Mr Choubey said the government had agreed to bear the entire cost of the project and if required private investors would be invited or finance arranged through banks for it. ''Once the site is finalised the plant will be installed within six months,'' he said adding the fuel generated through plastic waste is ideal for running generators, blast furnace and boilers.

Sharing her success story Jadgaonkar said she successfully invented the fuel in her college laboratory in 1999 by extracting 30 mg of fuel out of 300 gm of waste plastic. ''It took seven years for me to extract fuel from the waste plastic as I began research work and experiments in 1992,'' she said.

The Indian Oil Corporation has certified the fuel produced by her and President APJ Abdual Kalam too had acknowledged her invention which he found to be of immense use.

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