Eleven municipalities in the Stavanger region of Norway have floated a company called 'Ivar' that converts solid waste into fuel
India is not the only country facing the problem of solid waste management. However, countries like Norway have sought advanced technological insights to seek sustainable and long-lasting solutions. Eleven municipalities in the Stavanger region of Norway have floated a company called 'Ivar' that converts solid waste into fuel.
Ivar is jointly owned by eleven municipalities Finnøy, Gjesdal, Hå, Klepp, Kvitsøy, Randaberg, Rennesøy, Sandnes, Sola, Stavanger and Time. Together, these municipalities have approximately a quarter million inhabitants. The threat lies in the fact that untreated sludge can lead to water pollution. This can be averted by sludge to fuel management. Separation and segregation of sewage, sludge and plastic and metal at source is therefore crucial. The project works with wet waste, toilet and kitchen waste. While the bio-fuel generated at the end of it can be put to use, the by-products can be used as fertilisers too. The project has been successful and has generated enough bio-fuel to run the public bus transport system in all eleven municipalities.
A total of 84 IVAR employees were responsible for a turnover of approximately NOK 280 million in 2003. IVAR receives and processes solid waste from waste disposal services in the municipalities. IVAR works with a number of private and public organisations with the objective of ensuring improved exploitation of solid waste. Their motto being, less waste to landfills, more to recycling.
For many years, the Sele landfill was the largest facility of its kind in Norway. It received nearly 1,40,000 tonne of waste at the landfill, in 1997.
However, after exploiting their resources well, they have seen that the volume of residual waste ending up at the landfill has substantially reduced to about 30,000 tonne only. This means, the recycling rate for household refuse in the IVAR region is above 90 per cent, which further means that overall recycling rate has exceeded national goals. Now, as per the Norwegian waste management policy, waste can only be disposed when there are no recycling options. The Sele landfill receives solid waste from the IVAR municipalities. There is also a gas collection facility at the landfill. The Sele recycling station receives sorted waste and the Hogstad composting plant makes nutrient-rich compost out of food and garden waste from the entire Jæren region.
Cambi is one of the partner companies in this effort. Marketing manager and Indian scientist working with Cambi, Dr Ashish Sahoo maintains that such a model can be replicated back home. "The world looks up to the Silicon valley. It takes a few things to make a platform successful; right drivers, right investment and right infrastructure. Environment is often neglected in India. Today, if we have the right platform for environmental solutions, we can implement similar solutions in Indian cities like Mumbai. It is necessary to leapfrog in terms of technology coupled with a thiry-year-long plan," Dr Sahoo said.
Cambi, through thermal hydrolysis, enhances biogas production and produces pathogen-free bio-solids to make bio-fertilizers. The company deals in the process of converting sludge into fuel. The first project was started in 1989 through a small plant in Osloto; it was directed at proving the technology and convincing city authorities about its efficacy.
"Today, almost all cities in the world, are setting up wastewater treatment plants. Europe is bringing its wastewater into factories to make products. The waste is a resource. You could either do nothing or use it. Dillution is not the solution to pollution as the nature has its capacity. Furthermore, pollutants can enter the food chain and can be hazardous to human health," Dr Sahoo further said.
'Landfill gas' is formed when organic waste decomposes. The main components of this gas are methane and carbon dioxide. Methane is about 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide with respect to global warming or the greenhouse effect. Hence, it must be ensured that landfill gas is incinerated by converting methane to carbon dioxide. Incinerating the gas from Sele landfill benefits the environment to an extent that is equivalent to avoiding emissions from 20,000 cars. This gas is a source of high-quality energy and should not be wasted. Sele has the potential to deliver 25 to 30 million KWh of power per year, for many years to come. The gas is sold to Klepp Energi to be exploited as a heat source.
HOW NOVELTY WORKS
- Eleven municipalities in the Stavanger region of Norway have floated a company called ‘Ivar’ that converts solid waste into fuel
- Ivar is jointly owned by eleven municipalities Finnøy, Gjesdal, Hå, Klepp, Kvitsøy, Randaberg, Rennesøy, Sandnes, Sola, Stavanger and Time
- IVAR receives and processes solid waste from waste disposal services in the municipalities. It prevents the threat of untreated sludge leading to water pollution and subsequent health hazards
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