Chhattisgarh: Seized Ganja used as biomass to produce 5 MW power

RAIPUR: Setting ablaze the seized marijuana or cannabis in the open air by the law enforcement agencies to destroy the illegal narcotic as part of their operation has been the usual routine. However, in Chhattisgarh, a novel way has been worked out by the Bilaspur police to use this confiscated cannabis worth several crores productively as the biomass raw material.

Around 13 tons of marijuana were confiscated in 553 cases by various district police falling under the Bilaspur range during the fortnight-long campaign ‘Nashe Se Azadi Pakhwada’ (Freedom from drug abuse). Besides cannabis, other seized narcotic substances and drugs were also consumed as biomass.

The seized cannabis was accumulated at the Bilaspur-based Sudha Biopower Pvt Ltd, where, after the segregation of around 13 tons of narcotic materials, was put into a boiler through a bucket elevator for direct combustion of biomass.

“The open burning of cannabis remains a potential concern as it poses air quality threats by uncontrolled emission of pollutants in the atmosphere. So we decided to evolve a practice to convert the seized marijuana or ganja productively into biomass and produce electricity”, said Ratan Lal Dangi, inspector general of police (Bilaspur zone).

The Bilaspur police constituted a 4-member ‘High Power Drug Disposal Committee’ under the guidance of the IG to accomplish the task to dispose of the narcotic materials safely.

“Usually for generating 10 MW of power we need around 20 tons of biomass materials. Here we got over 12 tons of ganja that burnt for five hours and produced at least 5 MW of power, which was supplied to the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board. With such unusual initiative, there is also no harm done to the environment as the little fumes got dispersed at 50-metre high chimney directly from the boiler”, said S V Raju, general manager (technical) of Sudha Biopower Pvt Ltd.

Marijuana is produced from the cannabis herbaceous flowering plant, and experts have cited it as a ‘good byproduct biomass’ to generate electricity.

The boiler in the biomass plant produces high-pressure steam which through the turbine blades drives a generator to produce electricity.  Environmentalists felt the 'notable initiative' can be replicated to achieve a similar result in other areas too.

“The practice will continue in future”, averred Dangi.