The trial run started after the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) granted Consent to Establish the plant earlier this week.
The plant, operated by Pune-based GD Environmental Pvt Ltd, is designed to process plastic and other waste materials and generate oil and gas through gasification.
Speaking to the media at the site, the company’s Director, Ajit Gadgil, said producing oil and gas from waste is essential for the plant’s commercial viability. He added that the facility can handle different types of waste, including sanitary waste and coconut husk.
Explaining the process, Gadgil said dry and mixed waste will first be sent to a pyrolysis chamber, where it will be heated to around 300 degrees Celsius.
“This process converts the waste into coal, which is then used in the gasifier to generate the heat required to treat the incoming waste,” he said.
Gadgil said the plant is designed for flexible operations and can also treat sanitary waste such as used sanitary pads, provided the waste is properly segregated before reaching the facility.
Responding to queries about the by-products generated, he said the output will depend largely on the type of waste supplied by the civic body.
However, Gadgil stressed that the long-term success of the project will depend on the supply of suitable plastic waste to enable the production of oil.
PWD Minister Digambar Kamat, along with Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar, Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar and municipal engineers, witnessed the trial run of the plant on Wednesday morning.
Later, speaking to the media, Kamat said the plant will undergo trial runs for some time before it is formally commissioned. He added that some odour was noticed on the first day as thermocol waste had entered the system, and the Council has been instructed to ensure that thermocol-free waste is supplied to the plant.
