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INDIAN SCENARIO

The Indian plasma gasification unit near Pune is producing 1.6 MW/Day by processing only
72 Tons of MSW. The capital costs of plasma assisted waste to energy plants are higher than
that of the conventional solid fuel gasifiers. This higher cost could be justified by the fact that it
is freeing urban land and will manage the mounting waste in the cities. Again, the investment
cost will further increase for oxygen firing and chemical production, in place of power [127].
A recent estimate for a 3000 TPD MSW plasma based plant is about US $ 450 Million (INR
3,150 Crores approx.). This proposed plant only will produce power and not methanol. The
cost of a conventional incinerator is also of the same order [6]. Since the cost of conversion of
MSW is always high as compared to waste wood and other biomass, the plasma will still be
more expensive. Again for oxygen firing and methanol conversion cost will have to be added.
Unless support from the State is provided, the chemical production from waste may not catch
up. Japan is very active in plasma based gasification. India is also already one of the players
in plasma gasification.

4.2.3.3

BIOMASS AVAILABILITY FROM PAPER MILLS IN INDIA

Indian Paper industry is one of the world’s fastest growing industries. It grew at a compounded
annual growth rate of 6.7% over FY 06-11. Among the top producers of paper, India ranks
at 20 position with an estimated production of 10.9 MTPA. The Indian sector accounts for
th
about 2.6% of the global production, estimated at 390 MTPA. In 2012, India recorded paper
consumption of 9.3 kg/capita vis-à-vis global average of 58 kg/capita. Currently, there are 759
pulp and paper mills with an installed capacity of 12.7 MTPA, producing paper, paper board and
newsprint. The production is anticipated to grow to 14.0 MTPA by the year 2016. However, this
is one of the most polluting industries. Most of the black liquor produced is used for recovery
of chemicals and the balance is burnt to generate energy. Since the average size of these
paper mills is rather small, it is not economical to produce syngas or methanol. It has been
suggested by an expert committee to install efficient multi-fuel high-pressure boilers, turbines
and producer gas plants to utilize the biomass as a source of clean fuel, to reduce the carbon
footprint of the mills [69]. The possibility of producing methanol or DME was not considered.

4.2.3.4

PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH BIOMASS COLLECTION & SUSTAINED SUPPLY
One of the most difficult aspects of biomass utilization in large scale is its collection and
consistent production. Further, agricultural waste materials are not available round the year.
Another concern is that much of the biomass could otherwise be used as compost for manure
and biogas production. The biomass which could be easily converted to biogas or compost
by anaerobic digestion should be utilized for this purpose and the biogas possibly could be
diverted for syngas production along with other biomasses.

The diversity of physical characteristics and moisture content are key challenges, in
addition to sustained availability around the year. Clubbing of some biomasses could be
possible for similar pre-treatment of this carbon source. Transportation and collection are
also a problem due to excessive moisture content and low bulk density. The optimization of the
transportation network and medium of transportation, as a part of logistic support, can ensure
the consistent supply of biomass to power plants, while it can reduce transportation cost as
well [36]. Biomass also has costs prior to entering the gasification unit. This is not only for the
collection, transportation, drying or pre-treatment but also opportunity cost against demand for
other usage. In India, much of the residual biomass is already in use as cooking medium, at
least in rural areas. Therefore, it is very often becomes uneconomical to implement a biomass
based plant with a single type of feedstock.

68 Methanol and DME Production: Survey and Roadmap | 2017