Cool Plasma Gasification Technology: The Innovation That Could Save Assam's 'Deepor Beel'

By: Rahul Deka

It has been suggested that there is a possibility that the groundbreaking 'cool plasma gasification technology' can help save the 'Deepor Beel' in Guwahati by properly disposing wastes accumulated at the wasteland site.

This was first suggested by Ashok Baruah, the MD of Radiant Skills and Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a company that is helping keep Tezpur city 'clean and green'. So let's find out more about this new groundbreaking technology that is creating buzz among environment enthusiasts.

According to Strebl Energy, the COOL PLASMA Gasification Technology converts waste, or other carbonaceous feedstock, into operationally viable outputs using plasma field dynamics. Waste flows through a plasma arc generated by pressurizing a gas (a combination of diesel, air and electricity) and passing it through an electrical field in an oxygen-deprived chamber.

This produces a high-heat environment (800-1000°C), which instantaneously breaks down the waste feedstock into its molecular components. Super heating without oxygen is not incineration and does not generate the problematic exhaust emissions produced by burning waste.

Instead, the innovative COOL PLASMA Gasification technology creates a clean fuel called syngas (synthesis gas) that can be used to generate a wide range of valuable outputs including electricity, liquid fuels, and specialized chemicals.

The waste feedstock material introduced into this process is detoxified and its weight reduced at a ratio of 20:1. The only solid byproducts are inert materials: dry fly ash (which is commonly used as a construction aggregate), glass, and metals.

Last year, 280 million tonnes of plastic was produced globally, but less than half of it reached landfills and was recycled. PLasma gasification provides an alternative to incineration, and is a more effective way to destroy wastes. Will the Assam Government use this technology to salvage the 'Deepor Beel'? Only time will tell.

Inside Northeast’s Campaign #LetsSaveDeeporBeel is now supported by Oil India Limited (OIL). Join us as we continue the awareness campaign to preserve the only Ramsar site in Assam which is facing immense threats. We need your help to preserve this site of great ecological importance. Join the #LetsSaveDeeporBeel campaign and tweet about it, and do tag us on Twitter. Let’s make some noise!