KOLLAM: Fighting the menace of crematorium pollution, a former scientist with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has come up with an innovation.
A smoke-free crematorium that has an incorporated emission treatment system. The first such crematorium in the State has been installed in Punalur municipality.
The inventor, R.M.D. Nayar, 74, hailing from Alappuzha, is a former scientist at National Metallurgical Laboratory, CSIR, Chennai. “Crematorium furnaces across the country are of outdated technology puffing black, white, and purple coloured smoke with foul odour through a 30-metre chimney," he told DC. “These are sources of crematorium pollution which are hazardous to the health. I wanted to make one smoke-free with a capacity to eliminate the toxic waste that could be installed even in thickly populated areas.”
The smoke-free crematorium furnace system designed by Mr Nayar comprises a primary burning chamber working at a temperature of 800-degree Celcius where the body is introduced for cremation. An ash chamber at 1050 degree Celsius achieves cent per cent combustion efficiency.
A Venturi Wet Scrubber takes off hazardous soluble emissions while a Mist Eliminator takes off mist from the emissions coming out of wet scrubber. This is followed by a dry scrubber to remove foul odour and adsorb detrimentally carried over emissions. The process follows a dilution system and a smoke buster system. An ID fan creates negative pressure in the whole furnace system.
The furnace can be operated electrically, LPG fired, and with biogas. The existing incinerators can also be refurbished with the innovative technology. Mr Nayar founded Essco furnaces Pvt. Ltd. based in Chennai commercialising his innovation. He also has secured a patent for semi-automatic carbon analyser used in heavy industries to his credit.
