Biomass/Waste to Energy has been recognized as a clean, reliable, renewable source of energy. Unfortunately in Pakistan this source of energy has not been utilized for power generation in the past. The growing urbanization and changes in the pattern of life has given rise to generation of increasing quantities of wastes and it’s now becoming another threat to our environment. However, in recent years, waste-to-energy technologies have been developed to produce clean energy through the combustion of municipal solid waste in specially designed power plants equipped with the most modern pollution control equipment to clean emissions. Biomass and waste to energy plants are used not only to generate sufficient power but also used to cleanup the environment as well by conserving non-renewable fossil fuel resources and reducing the environmental impacts of trash disposal. Biomass and waste-to-energy facilities can also contribute to the country’s economy by providing jobs apart from generating electricity.

Biogas, one of the most significant types of biomass energy, makes optimal utilization of the valuable natural resource of dung. It provides (soot-free) clean gas for meeting cooking and energy needs as well as enriched bio-fertilizer for improvement of fertility/ productivity of agricultural lands. Promotion of the biogas technology seems to be one of the best options, which cannot only partially offset the fossil fuel from wood consumption but also facilitates recycling of agro-animal residues as a bio-fertilizer. Moreover, being clean and renewable, it will also contribute towards environment protection, sustenance of ecosystem and conservation of biodiversity.

Biogas has proved to be a viable technology in the physical and socio-economic conditions. Pakistan is rich in Biogas potential, the technology provides nearly three times more useful energy than that dung directly burnt, and also produces nutrient-rich manure. Besides production of Biogas, the Biogas Plants can result in improving economic and financial conditions at micro as well as macro level and abating emission of greenhouse gases that has been polluting the environment due to its direct exposure.

Some waste treatment methods / technologies used to produce gas & electricity are indicated below:

• Through Gasification; electricity can be produced from hot gases.
• Through Anaerobic Digestion; ggas can be extracted from the waste and can be used for the power generation purposes.
• Converting the waste into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).
• Through Plasma technology; electricity can be produced.

i) Biomass and waste to energy plants conserve fossil fuels by generating electricity. one ton of MSW combusted reduces oil use by about 45 gallons; or coal use by about 0.28 tons.

ii) It has been estimated that one ton of MSW combusted rather than land filled reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 1.2 tons of carbon dioxide.

iii)Biomass and waste to energy plants do not have the aqueous emissions that may be experienced in landfills, either now or in the distant future.

iv)4. Biomass and waste to energy plants save the space required for land filling.

Biomass/Waste to Energy projects have the benefits over conventional energy resources projects that they do not emit any effluents, pollutants and residues. These are considered to be most environmental friendly technologies which are very much supportive in reducing emissions and developing healthy environment. All over the world, renewable energy projects have been implemented to avoid dependency over the conventional resources which have been a source of effluent emissions and endangering the environment. The international organizations and institutes including financing organization have been encouraging such projects which utilize renewable energy technologies for the generation of power.

AEDB is actively facilitating public/private sector organizations for establishing and promoting biomass/waste to energy projects in Pakistan as one window facility.

• AEDB is developing national strategy, policies and plans for the utilization of biomass/waste to energy resources to achieve targets approved by Federal Government.

AEDB has issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) to set up a 11-MW biomass to energy power plant at Jhang based exclusively on agricultural waste (cotton stalk, rice husk, sugarcane trash, bagasse, wheat chaff and other crops as multi-fuel sources). The plant would need about 90-110 thousands of tons of biomass fuel at 70-80 percent plant load factor in a year. Biomass supply agreement and logistic / shipping agreement with rice and sugar factories will be made with factories which are in the vicinity of the proposed plant site. The proposed plant will burn biomass as primary fuel whereas startup fuel will be RFO or diesel and the backup fuel would be coal.

The project is sponsored by Lumen Energia Pvt Ltd. The total cost of the proposed project has been estimated to be U.S $ 14.38 Million on debt / equity ratio of 80:20 and the company is looking forward to take loan from State Bank of Pakistan under their “Scheme for Financing Power Plants using Renewable Energy”.

The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) is actively facilitating public/private sector organizations for establishing and promoting biomass/waste to energy projects in Pakistan as one window facility. AEDB is developing national strategy, policies and plans for the utilization of biomass/waste to energy resources to achieve targets approved by Federal Government.

AEDB has issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) to set up a 12-MW biomass to energy power plant in Sindh based exclusively on agricultural waste. The project is jointly sponsored by investors from US and local entrepreneurs the SSJD BioEnergy. The Project Feasibility Study has been approved.

AEDB has issued a letter of intent to M/s Pak Ethanol (Pvt) Ltd. to set up a 09 MW biogas power project at Pak Ethanol (Pvt) Ltd, Matli, Sindh.

Pak Ethanol (Pvt) Ltd is an ethanol distillery based on sugar molasses using state of the art technology to recover Biogas from Spent wash of distillery having a recovery of more than 80%. The recovered biogas will be used in gas engines having one of the best thermal efficiencies. In addition, the power generation capacity of 09MW, the plant will also produce steam & chilled water which will be utilized within the distillery to further improve the efficiencies

Biomass/Waste to Energy projects have the benefits over conventional energy resources projects that they do not emit any effluents, pollutants and residues. These are considered to be most environmental friendly technologies which are very much supportive in reducing emissions and developing healthy environment. All over the world, renewable energy projects have been implemented to avoid dependency over the conventional resources which have been a source of effluent emissions and endangering the environment. The international organizations and institutes including financing organization have been encouraging such projects which utilize renewable energy technologies for the generation of power.