Energy Extraction Using Waste Project Launched in UET Lahore

Energy Extraction Using Waste Project Launched in UET Lahore

Center for Energy Research and Development’s much-awaited project ‘Energy Extraction by Safe Disposal of Municipal Waste Using Nanotechnology’ has now been officially launched at University of Engineering and Technology Lahore where Director CERAD Prof. Dr. Waqar Mahmood along with Prof. Jamshed Bhatti from Physics Department of UET Lahore, AERIL Lab KICS’ Manager Imran Ali Shah, Research Officer Talall Ahmed (who is behind this research and execution of the project along with the entire team) and faculty members graced the launch event. This project’s need emerged because the disposal of municipal wastes was a major concern for environment and health of the public. The wastes are either disposed of in landfills or recycled. Landfills are increasing both land and water pollution. When this waste meets the ground water, it leads to water contamination. When these wastes are recycled, there emerges a great risk of reuse and transfer of diseases as high temperature melting doesn’t ensure 100 percent disinfection.

This project proposes the utilization of catalytic gasification technique to thermally decompose the municipal waste for generation of energy. By doing so not only the landfill and massive transformation of waste can be reduced but also useful fuels can be extracted. These fuels can be used either for heating purposes or generation of electricity. This will also reduce the practice of direction combustion. Combusting the biomass in open air results in emission of greenhouse gases. By gasification, the municipal will be thermally decomposed with negligible amount of toxic emissions.

This project is funded by HEC’s TDF (Technology Development Fund) and is quite economical. In commercial point of view, not only it can provide benefits to factories and commercial entities but also to common masses. Initially the project generated gas but later electricity manufacturing is in pipeline to be made through waste.