Sintex Digester
The Sintex Digester is an anaerobic digester which converts waste into energy. The device was created by Sintex Industries, a plastic and textiles manufacturer in Gujarat, India. This biogas digester is capable of taking excrement, organic materials and other garbage to turn into fuel which can be used for generating electricity. The digester measures one cubic meter and is priced around $425 .
"We want to create a new industry for portable sanitation in India that's not available now," ~ S.B. Dangayach, Sintex's managing director
The company has only installed approximately 100 units, however have plans to increase investment and production tenfold in the coming year.
Sintex Industries
Sintex Industries is a textile, plastics and civil engineering consultation company that manufactures thermoplastics, thermosets, sandwich panels, post moulding, concrete, and metals in India.
Sintex is developing several green products such as sandwich panels, uPVC/PVC windows, rainwater harvesting systems for drinking water, decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS), solar cookers, and biogas plants.
Issues Addressed and Development in India
Currently the government of India plans to end open defecation by 2012 . It is stated that hundreds of millions of Indians use railroad tracks or other outdoor locales instead of toilets. Defecating in an open area can spread diseases and contaminate water supplies.
"By 2012, India will be free of defecation in the open and will meet international commitments in this regard," ~ Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad
The Sintex Digester addresses two problems that are prevalent in India; sanitation and energy. When the digester is primed with cow dung which provides bacteria, it converts the waste generated by a family of four into enough methane to prepare meals and provide SLUDGE for fertilizer . It is believed that the unit will pay for itself in energy savings within two years. Due to the economic climate of India, $425.00 is still relatively expensive for most of its residents, however the government is subsidizing the price to AbOUT a third of the cost.
In South Dehli, 1,000 people use an impeccably clean public toilet constructed by the Sulabh Sanitation Movement, which is a nonprofit organization. The biogas digesters are attached to toilets and provided cooking gas for a 600 student school and vocational-training program the foundation runs. In the past, nongovernmental organizations like Sulabh were the only ones offering biogas digesters.
See also
- Anaerobic digestion
- Biodegradability
- Bioenergy
- Biofuel
- Biogas
- Biohydrogen
- Environmental issues in India
- Plastics
- Renewable energy
- Renewable natural gas
- Textile
- Thermoplastics
- Thermosets
- Waste management
References
- Green, Hank (2008, February 29). Turning poop into fuel Yahoo Green
- Kahn, Jeremy (2008, February 27). Waste not, want not CNNMoney
- Pruitt, Hobert (2008, March 12). Methane our most Wasted Resource BeyondFossilFuel
- Reuters (2007, November 1). India aims to end open-air defecation by 2012 Thomson Reuters