Pune to have India’s first waste-to-hydrogen project

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has collaborated with The Green Billions (TGBL) to manage waste and convert it into usable green hydrogen.

Variate Pune Waste to Energy Private Ltd, a special purpose vehicle or subsidiary of TGBL will carry out the work. For the next 30 years, Variate will manage and use 350 tonnes of municipal waste per day to generate hydrogen. This waste will be made up of biodegradable, and household hazardous waste. TBGL’s Pune facility would segregate this waste using optical sensor technology.

The waste’s Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) would then be used to generate hydrogen via plasma gasification technology. The technology was created in collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Institute (BARC) and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.

It is estimated that 350 TPD waste would generate 150 tpd RDF and 9 MT tonnes of H2. The hydrogen produced at the plant will be used locally to help the city reduce its emissions.

The Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology (MAHAPREIT), a Maharashtra government venture, has proposed to offtake the hydrogen generated at the facility and develop logistical infrastructure for hydrogen transportation to industries.

MAHAPREIT proposes blending in the Pune city gas distribution network in the first phase of the project, in collaboration with Maharashtra Natural Gas Ltd and Bharat Petrol Corporation Ltd., reports Down to Earth.