Swachh Bharat waste-to-energy: biogas and bio-CNG from organic waste
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- Prelims 2020According to India's National Policy on Biofuels, which of the following can be used as raw materials for the production of biofuels ?Solve with answer →
- Prelims 2019In the context of proposals to the use of hydrogen-enriched CNG (H-CNG) as fuel for buses in public transport, consider the following statementsSolve with answer →
A PIB backgrounder of 27 September 2026 shows how Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 turns organic waste into energy. Prayagraj’s bio-CNG plant takes 343 tonnes of waste a day, a Gwalior gaushala makes compressed biogas from dung, and a Hyderabad market runs its streetlights on vegetable waste.
- Mission
- Swachh Bharat Mission (launched October 2014), SBM-Urban 2.0
- Prayagraj
- 343 tonnes waste a day, about 21 tonnes bio-CNG
- Gwalior
- 100 TPD CBG plant, ₹31 crore, with Indian Oil
- Bowenpally, Hyderabad
- about 10 tons waste a day, 400 to 500 units power
- Gandhinagar campus
- 90 cubic metres biogas a day, no LPG
Waste-to-energy under Swachh Bharat: what happened?
Organic waste rots in landfills and gives off methane. Biogas plants break it down without air and give fuel plus manure. PIB picked four working examples.
- PIB backgrounder on waste-to-energy under SBM-Urban 2.0 [PIB].
- Examples: a Hyderabad vegetable market lighting streetlights with rotten vegetables; a multi-feedstock bio-CNG plant in Prayagraj [PIB].
What are the four examples?
- Prayagraj (UP): a multi-feedstock bio-CNG plant using wet waste, paddy straw, cattle dung and poultry litter; also makes 28 tonnes of compost a day and runs on a public-private partnership.
- Gwalior (MP): Adarsh Gaushala, Laltipara, turns 100 tonnes of dung into two tonnes of compressed biogas a day since October 2024.
- Bowenpally (Hyderabad): market waste powers streetlights, stalls and pumps; the power bill has roughly halved; five more plants are funded.
- Adalaj, Gandhinagar: a campus kitchen feeding more than 500 people runs fully on biogas, saving 30 LPG cylinders a month.
How is biogas made?
- Anaerobic decomposition (without oxygen) of organic waste gives biogas.
- The leftover slurry is rich in nitrogen and is used as organic fertiliser.
- Bio-CNG from Prayagraj is sold under the CBG-CGD Synchronisation Scheme.
What can Prelims ask on waste-to-energy under Swachh Bharat?
- Biogas comes from anaerobic decomposition.
- Prayagraj plant also helps tackle stubble burning by using paddy straw.
- SBM was launched in October 2014.
How to use this in Mains
- As per PIB Backgrounder (2026-09-27): PIB backgrounder on waste-to-energy under SBM-Urban 2.0.
Quotable data pointPIB backgrounder on waste-to-energy under SBM-Urban 2.0.
PIB Backgrounder: Power from Waste, 27 Sep 2026
Exam angle
Prelims: anaerobic digestion; by-products. · Mains: Waste-to-energy's promise and pitfalls in Indian cities.
Practice MCQs
Original practice questions (not PYQs).
Biogas is produced mainly by
Answer (b) & explanation
PIB, 27 Sep 2026.
The multi-feedstock bio-CNG plant cited by PIB that uses paddy straw is in
Answer (b) & explanation
PIB, 27 Sep 2026.
Questions students ask about this
What is waste-to-energy under Swachh Bharat?
Turning organic waste such as dung, kitchen and market waste into biogas, bio-CNG, electricity and manure.
What does the Prayagraj plant do?
It processes 343 tonnes of organic waste a day into about 21 tonnes of bio-CNG and 28 tonnes of compost.
Why is biogas slurry useful?
It is rich in nitrogen and works as organic fertiliser.
Keep studying
Go deeper
Official source: PIB Backgrounder: Power from Waste, 27 Sep 2026
facts from cited sources only; faculty review pending