An all new Bio-CNG plant was set up at Mahindra World City, Chennai as a joint CSR initiative between Mahindra Research Valley (MRV) and Mahindra World City Developers Limited (MWCDL). Spread over an area of 1,000 square metres, the Bio-CNG plant will create a carbon neutral ecosystem at Mahindra World City Chennai. The Bio-CNG plant converts 100% of the eight tons of food and kitchen waste generated daily in the city into 1000m3 of raw biogas. This raw bio gas can be enriched to yield 400kg/day of purified CNG grade fuel which is equivalent to a 200kW power plant. As a by-product, four tons of organic fertilizer is produced each day. The green energy (Bio-CNG) is effectively used to replace CNG as an automotive fuel (for CNG buses and tractors) and LPG for cooking purposes, as well as to power street lights at Mahindra World City, Chennai. The organic fertilizer is used by farmers to enhance soil fertility. Furthermore, the power generated is used for buses for free shuttle service and tractors for cultivation.

Overall, it will create an end to end carbon neutral ecosystem, where even the food waste will be utilized for the benefit of the farmers. With this, Mahindra World City Chennai has become India’s first food-waste free city, a significant milestone in its journey towards becoming a low carbon footprint world city that successfully harness the opportunity to convert waste-to-wealth and improve the quality of life of all stakeholders, including local communities.