Hyundai walks the eco talk with biogas plant, material recovery plant in Gurugram

Hyundai Motor India, which is headquartered in Gurugram, has undertaken a waste management project under its CSR initiatives executed through the Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF), wherein the organisation has set up a biogas and material recovery facility in the country's second-largest IT hub.

The facility, christened 'EcoGram by Hyundai', has been set up in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), and implemented by Bengaluru-based waste-management not-for-profit – Saahas. Located in Gurugram's Sector 53, near Paras Hospital, the biogas plant has been functional since October 2022, but has received multiple upgrades, for instance, recently adding a new hydrolysis tank.

According to HMIF, EcoGram has a daily capacity to process 2,000kg of wet waste and 5,000kg of dry waste, wherein the unit has contributed towards the reduction of over 144,000kg of CO2 emissions by curbing greenhouse gas emissions released directly from landfills. HMIF claims over 11 lakh kilograms of waste have been recycled at this site since October 2022.

Biogas plant constituents
The model biogas plant comprises two digester tanks with an installed 2-tonne capacity each, and a hydrolysis tank, which is optional in a biogas-generating facility, but is increasingly becoming important in larger setups.

The company has established a feedstock procuring process through MCG's support by striking long-term understandings with various RWAs, corporate offices, and commercial complexes in the city. The dry and wet waste is first scientifically separated, with the latter becoming the raw material for the production of biogas. 

While an all-women team is deployed to further segregate dry waste on a conveyor belt, to salvage several items such as paper cups, aluminium and tin cans, as well as cardboard for recycling, the automated biogas plant utilises a three-stage process to produce methane gas, which is a carbon-neutral fuel.

The wet waste, including wet and foot waste is mixed to form a slurry and is first stored in the hydrolysis tank which breaks down complex organic materials like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, into simple molecules like sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids, respectively. 

The two sealed, and oxygen-less digester tanks now see microorganisms decompose these simple molecules to produce methane gas, which is drawn off from the top and is stored in a dome. The gas is used to produce 200kW of electricity daily by deploying a biogas-fueled generator, and this electricity is used to run the unit, thus making it self-sustaining in its energy requirements.

A Hyundai Creta Electric getting charged on the premises. The electricity generated by the biogas plant is used for captive consumption at this model facility.

According to Puneet Anand, AVP and Vertical Head, Corporate Affairs, Corporate Communications, and Social, Hyundai Motor India, "EcoGram by Hyundai is our commitment towards building cleaner and greener cities by turning waste into a resource. The idea behind this model facility was to create a decentralised solution to manage urban waste and tap it where it is generated."

"By working closely with the MCG, we have demonstrated how collaboration can bring a tangible change at the grassroot level. Instead of letting waste pile up in landfills, local and scalable interventions like these can make a real difference," he added.

A two-tonne wet waste biogas plant is learnt to cost around Rs 80 lakh, and according to HMIF, the facility is estimated to have been visited by nearly 1100 school children, government representatives, corporates, as well as dignitaries from other countries, to understand the best practices in sustainable waste management.