India’s Prime Minister highlights success of vegetable market biogas project

In India, the Bowenpally Vegetable Market has caught Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attention for its innovative waste management system. PM praised the one-of-its-kind bioelectricity, biofuel and bio-manure generation project during one of Mann Ki Baat episodes. Stating that the market’s waste is now being turned into wealth, PM said, “We have observed that in sabzi mandis, vegetables rot due to multiple reasons, spreading unhygienic conditions. However, traders at Hyderabad’s Bowenpally Sabzi Mandi decided to produce electricity out of waste vegetables. This is the power of innovation.”

Nearly 10 tons of waste is collected every day in the market, which earlier used to end up in landfills, but is now the major source of electricity for the vegetable market.

The waste generated (rotten and unsold vegetables) in the Bowenpally vegetable market and nearby yards are collected from across the city. The vegetables are chopped into smaller pieces and run over the conveyor belt to the shredder. The waste then undergoes a shredding process where all the vegetables are crushed into smaller and uniform sizes and sent to a grinder. This grinder further crushes the content into pulp, which is also called slurry and passes them to the anaerobic digesters.

The gas generated is collected and stored in balloons until further use. Bio Manure is obtained, apart from the gas, as a by-product. In a separate tank, biogas is collected and via a pipeline system sent for cooking. The biofuel is then supplied into a 100% biogas generator which is used to power the cold storage rooms, water pumps, shop, street lights, etc.

Around 30 kg of bio-fuel generated per day is supplied to the kitchen facilities near the unit. 400- 500 units of electrical power is being utilized by the administrative building, market water supply network, around 100 streetlights, and 170 stalls of the market.