Environmental assessment of proposed waste to energy plant for municipal solid waste for Thane Municipal Corporation, India

Abstract

The population in Thane city of Maharashtra in India is increasing rapidly and the subsequent increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) is creating issues in its collection, transport and treatment. Waste to energy (WtE) technology is one of the best techno-economically feasible technologies for treatment of MSW. This technology involves incinerating MSW in a controlled manner and the thermal energy thus produced is used to convert water into steam, which is then used to turn the turbines connected to generators that produce electrical energy. Economically, it will be a success as the project proposes to generate 10MW of electricity, conserving tons of non-renewable fuels. It not only reduces the volume of MSW by 90%, but also produces non-conventional energy as a byproduct. Since this is a community project, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) has to be conducted in accordance with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) guidelines. A baseline environment study (BES) was conducted by M/s. FEE in December 2013. Ambient air quality monitoring was carried out at six different locations depending on wind speed and direction, along with other important parameters such as water (surface and ground), noise, biodiversity and socio-economic aspects. All the parameters were found within advisory standards. EMP, DMP and risk assessments were designed and will be implemented accordingly. Based on the EIA, this WtE project would have major positive and very negligible negative impacts on the environmental parameters. The mitigating measures and monitoring plans have been formulated such that this project will be an economically and environmentally sustainable solution to dispose of the accumulating MSW and consequently generating clean energy. © 2014 WIT Press.