Utilizing rail passenger human waste in
generating bio-fuels
A draft proposal [1]
Som Karamchetty [2]
Summary:
Over four
billion passengers traveling in Indian trains will mean a huge human waste
disposal problem for the Indian Railways. Indian Railways and their engineers
and consultants are working on modern and hygienic disposal solutions. By
transmitting the waste to suitable locations and transforming it into usable
manure to raise bio-fuel crops will lead to the production of bio-diesel, which
can be used by the Indian Railways. This proposal suggests a technical
feasibility and economic viability investigation.
Problem:
Disposal of
human waste generated by passengers traveling on trains in India India
Background:
Indian Railways
carried 4,833 million passengers per year in
8,520 passenger trains over 63,000 route kilometers. [3] The
logistics of disposal of human waste generated by over 13 million train
passengers daily can be daunting. It can impact the hygiene and health of
passengers, railway staff and personnel, and communities through which the rail
tracks pass.
Current Developments:
The Indian
Railways and its R&D personnel are addressing this problem. We understand
that there are currently research projects, with the objectives of designing,
developing, and installing advanced toilet systems in rail passenger
compartments. [4] The new
designs will enable easy cleaning, collection, handling, and transportation of
the waste in cartridges. In the current plans, the final disposal of the waste
is assumed to be by traditional means.
Technical Approach:
We suggest
a novel approach in the disposal method rather than the conventional methods.
The suggested approach consists of a) converting the waste into an organic
fertilizer, b) using the fertilizer to raise crops, and 3) producing bio-fuels
from these crops.
We present a brief description in
the following paragraphs. As the trains travel from city to city, the
cartridges with the waste are downloaded at every 300 to 500 kilometers. The
downloading locations are selected such that there is sufficient barren land
available to site a conversion plant. We also look for sparsely populated
areas. Here the waste is converted to an organic fertilizer. The technology to
convert waste to organic fertilizer is readily available. (See references at
the end of this white paper.)
The organic fertilizer is usually
considered very clean if completely treated, but is generally not recommended
for edible crops. In the western nations, this fertilizer is used to grow lawns
and flowers. But in India
The next step is to produce
bio-fuels or bio-diesel from these plant materials. This technology is also
readily available. The final step is for the Indian Railways to procure the
bio-diesel from the plants and either use it in its own system or sell it to
other users.
Business Model:
Indian
Railways are in a unique position to facilitate the complete business cycle for
this process. As owners of the transportation links, the Railways can collect,
handle, transport, and deliver the waste to the fertilizer conversion plants. Indian
Railways may install between 200 and 300 conversion plants at locations
alongside its tracks. Again, adjacent to each of these plant locations, the
Railways can lease to bio-plant farmers its own land or other fallow land after
acquiring it. Then, the Railways can set up bio-diesel production plants at
these sites and lease them to bio-diesel producers. Finally, Railways can buy
the bio-diesel to transport to points of use. The Railways may use the fuel in
its locomotives or sell it to other users depending on the market. Initial
plants may be owned by the Indian Railways while future plants can be developed
using the franchise model. With the Railways being the supplier of the raw
material and the buyer of the end product, it will be in a unique position to
facilitate the business.
A recent report suggests that the locomotive fleet of the Indian Railways
consumes around 200 billion litres of diesel fuel annually. [5]
To cut down on the costs, the Railways are looking at bio-diesel blended with
petro-diesel as an alternative fuel, according to this report.The systems technology and business model developed can be very useful to the Urban development and Rural development organizations in
Feasibility Study:
It is
important to conduct a feasibility study of the technical approach and the
viability of the economic aspects of the proposal. A study will include the
following tasks along a timeline shown in Figure 1.
Brief Description of
Tasks:
1. Propose Phase I
After consultations with the Indian
Railways and their R&D staffs, a detailed proposal to investigate the
feasibility of converting human waste from passenger trains in India into
fertilizer for use in raising bio-fuel crops and to process the product into
bio-diesel will be developed. This proposal will develop a realistic schedule,
deliverables, and budget.
2. Brief Indian Railways PM
The
proposal manager and the team will brief the Indian Railways Program Manager to
establish rapport and to define Indian Railways furnished items and services.
This meeting will ensure that the Program Managers expectations and any
limitations are taken into account by the investigating team. Amendments to the
proposal will be made based on this meeting.
3. Design a Conversion Plant
The
investigating team will conduct a literature survey of waste to manure
(fertilizer) sciences and technologies, select an appropriate technology for
the feasibility investigation, and design a plant for the conversion process.
The team will make a preliminary cost estimate and recommend a selected list of
candidate firms for building a pilot plant.
4. Design a Bio-Plant Farm
The team
will conduct a literature survey of bio-plant farms to utilize the manure and
to raise bio-fuel plants, such as Jathropa, and Pongamia. The team will make a selection
of a farm size and crop.
5. Design a Bio-Diesel Plant
The team
will conduct a literature survey of bio-diesel production technology, design a
production plant, and recommend a list of selected firms to build and install a
bio-diesel plant.
6. Analyze Logistics
The team
will analyze the passenger traffic on the Indian Railways and the
transportation or logistics of human waste collection and transport. This study
will be conducted in cooperation or partnership with the current designers of
the proposed new toilet systems for the Indian Railways.
7. Design site locations
The team
will use the logistics from the above task, and the current land use patterns
along the rail corridors, and make a selection of several sites to locate the
waste conversion plants and bio-plant farms. The environmental sensitivity of
the local areas will be taken into account in the selection study.
8. Conduct economic study
The team
will study the overall economics of the proposed project using the logistics
data and information, equipment and operating costs of the conversion plants,
bio-farms, and the bio-diesel conversion plants, avoided costs of other
disposal methods of human waste, and the revenues from the sale of bio-diesel
fuel.
9. Make recommendations to Indian Railways
Based on
the results of the study and analysis, the team will make recommendations to
the PM and leadership of Indian Railways. Comments and directions from the
leadership will be used in the revisions of the report.
10. Prepare report
The team
will prepare a final report and submit it to PM Indian Railways.
11. Propose Phase II
Based on
the results and recommendations of the Phase I, and guidance from the IR
leadership, a Phase II proposal to run a pilot plant will be developed and
submitted.
12. Set up a pilot plant
As
described in the Phase II proposal, a pilot plant will be built, commissioned,
and operated.
13. Operate and Evaluate Pilot Plant
The team
will operate the pilot plant and test data, and results will be delivered periodically.
Occasional demonstrations and plant and farm tours will be given to visitors
and dignitaries as designated by the PM Indian Railways.
Deliverables:
Monthly
progress reports via the Internet and oral presentations will be delivered at
the end of each month during the project. These reports will describe the
status and progress of the various tasks in the project.
Risks and
Assumptions:
Although
the human waste disposal problem itself is a very sensitive one, the solution
approach suggested requires a high degree of pragmatism and
sophistication. There is always a risk
of over estimation of the acceptance of the technology at the local levels.
While the Team will be very sensitive to these issues, it may take more time
than expected for the technology to mature and the people’s acceptance to be
realized.
Team Composition:
For the
proposed project to succeed, the team will be formed from premier institutes in
India ,
with researchers, designers, and operators drawn from the following
specializations: Logistics, sanitary engineering, mechanical engineering, civil
engineering, environmental engineering, chemical engineering, agricultural
sciences, public relations analysis, plant operation and maintenance, and
project management.
Benefits and Conclusion:
The
proposed scheme and business model have several benefits. Indian Railways will
be able to contribute to the disposal of the human generated waste from its
compartments in an environmentally satisfactory manner. In the process, it is
likely that the Railways will save on disposal costs and contribute to the
development of waste to bio-fuels technology. The Railways would also be
creating a number of entrepreneurs by franchising the plant operation.
Indian
Railways should undertake this project, and contribute to its success by taking
a leadership role in this sector in India and the world.
References and
Bibliography:
Digesters and
Conversion:
http://www.synagro.com/http://wrightreports.ecnext.com/coms2/reportdesc_COMPANY_871562203
http://www.lagooncleanout.com/
http://www.answers.com/topic/synagro-technologies-inc?cat=biz-fin
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http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/howardAT/ATapp3.html
http://www.howtocompost.org/
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http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1612
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http://www.cqs.com/esludge.htm
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Waste Transportation:
http://www.synagro.com/services/rail.html
http://sec.edgar-online.com/2005/04/27/0001047469-05-011593/Section18.asp
http://www.greenenergylive.com/waste_handling.html
Environmental impact of bio-solids:
http://www.perc.ca/PEN/2001-02/s-mills2.html
http://www.casella.com/neo/v2/story.asp?ID=41
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_11_18/ai_84184981/pg_2
http://www.houstonpress.com/2005-03-31/news/wretched-excess/
http://www.mindfully.org/Farm/Sewage-Sludge-Health-Fears.htm
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/01/04/news/californian/20_51_051_3_06.txt
http://www.edf.org/documents/2543_FactSheet_MuniWaste.pdf
http://www.answers.com/topic/waste-management
http://www.wwdmag.com/N-Y-Human-Waste-Raises-Stink-in-Alabama-newsPiece14567
http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2000/06/02/000602human.html
http://www.faran-co.com/wastewatertreatment.htm
http://courses.arch.hku.hk/IntgBuildTech/envctrl/KPC_pub/sewtreat1.html
http://www.marinet.org.uk/ukbw/sewage.html
http://realtytimes.com/rtcpages/20000727_recycle.htm
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http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5192428.html
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Composting Toilets:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet
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http://www.lboro.ac.uk/well/resources/technical-briefs/63-using-human-waste.pdf
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http://www.bountifulgardens.org/
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http://www.marylandrecyclers.org/
http://www.swana.org/www/default.aspx
Bio-fuel technology and generating plants:
http://biotech.about.com/b/a/000021.htm
http://www.biofuelstp.eu/
http://www.ecotraffic.se/synbios/konferans/presentationer/19_maj/automotive/synbios_linnaila_raimo.pdf
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_depolymerization
[3] Source: http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/status-paper.pdf
(current numbers will be greater than these 2000-2001 data.)
[4] Based on private discussions with RDSO, Lucknow , and IIT, Kanpur
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