Government agencies and PSUs in India have taken several initiatives to face environmental challenges while promoting sustainable development. They procure biomining and bioremediation services for various reasons like site remediation, mining waste management and oil spill cleanup. Depending on the environmental challenges that are facing in a region, the various types of biomining and bioremediation tenders were published. Various state government agencies like Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Haryana Government, Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration and Water supply Department issued biomining tenders for various purposes.
This study analyzes the procurement of biomining tenders by various government agencies and PSUs in India in the last year 2023. A total of 1583 biomining tenders were published by 94 government agencies across various states in India. The top three key states which purchased biomining were Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Various biomining tenders were published for the legacy waste management which may include industrial waste, mining waste, and other types of waste. These waste may contain valuable resources or materials that cause environmental risks. For instance, TN Directorate of Town Panchayats issued a tender for removal of legacy waste at RR park in AlangayamTown Panchayat using biomining techniques. Similarly, Ahmednagar AMC published a tender for the work at legacy waste scientific dumpsite land reclamation through biomining resource recovery and scientific rejects disposal at Ahmednagar. Local Self Government Department in Kerala advertised a tender for biomining for removal of legacy waste in municipal trenching ground in ward no. 33 at Tirur municipality.
Biomining tenders were also published for disposing of inert materials. As an illustration, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Gujarat issued a tender for processing of inert material that are generated from biomining into usable products with the use of any technology at Behrampura, Ahmedabad for a period of 05 years. Similarly, Karnataka Directorate of Municipal Administration advertised a tender for processing and disposal of 46482 tons legacy waste including civil works of machinery foundation, leachate pond, site clearance, etc, labor charges, transportation of RDF to cement industry, inert and bio earth materials etc, as per Central Pollution Control Board guidelines for City Municipal Council, Doddaballapur.
In some cases, biomining tenders are advertised for the Scientific Disposal and Land reclamation process. Since they serve different purposes, in the environmental protection aspect they serve an important role. As an example, Karnataka Directorate of Municipal Administration, issued a tender for scientific disposal / treatment of legacy wastes in Landfill sites of ULB s of Chamarajanagar District. A tender was issued by the DMA, Maharashtra for scientific disposal and land reclamation through biomining. Additionally, UDHD Bihar advertised a tender for selection of agency for scientific disposal of legacy waste through bio mining / bio remediation and reclamation of land at the Churamba compost ground.
Government agencies also advertised bioremediation tenders for several reasons related to environmental protection and public health. It is used to clean up soil, water, and air from contaminated pollutants. For example, BCPL in Assam issued a tender for providing services for bioremediation of oily and chemical sludge at ETP of BCPL. Similarly, IOCL in Uttar Pradesh issued a tender for tiling works, removal of oily treated sludge from bio-remediation pits at Mathura Refinery.
Several bioremediation tenders were published for cleaning and managing the drains and drainage systems. In Uttar Pradesh, various government agencies advertised tenders for cleaning drains. As an illustration, Uttar Pradesh Directorate of Local Bodies issued a tender for treatment of drains by bioremediation works. Also, Allahabad MC, published a tender for treatment of untapped drains through bioremediation in Prayagraj Municipal Corporation. In addition, Kanpur Municipal Corporation, Uttar pradesh published a tender for treatment of drains by bio-remediation or any other non-conventional innovative and proven technologies at Kanpur.
A significant number of bioremediation tenders were advertised along with phytoremediation methods for cleaning purposes. For example, Tripura Urban Planning Development Authority, issued a tender for nallah treatment of waste water by proven technology under phytoremediation bioremediation method on DBO basis and post completion operation and maintenance for 05 years including defects liability period of 01 year for eight towns in total. IOCL in Punjab issued a tender for upgrading one STP one ETP and supply erection commissioning of 1 STP with phytoremediation with warranty period of 2 years of STP of capacity 10 KLD in 8 hours at Indane Bottling Plant Bhatinda. Even though the majority of bioremediation tenders are called for cleaning purposes, a few tenders were advertised for beautification purposes also. For instance, Uttar Pradesh Directorate of Local Bodies issued a tender for Bahjoi drains cleanup and pond beautification via bioremediation and phytoremediation.
In some cases both biomining and bioremediation services are procured together for attaining best results. For instance, Nagarpalika, Gujarat issued a tender for selection of legacy work management solution for Jetpur Navagadh Nagarpalika by bio-remediation and bio-mining process at Ghankachara, Derdi Dhar site. Madhya Pradesh Urban Administration and Development Department issued a tender for selection of contractor for the work of legacy waste dumpsite remediation through bioremediation, biomining and disposal of residual waste in Nagar Palika Parishad, Manawar.
In addition to this biomining tenders were procured for various other purposes like resources recovery. For example, Maharashtra DMA, published a tender for scientific dumpsite land reclamation through bio-mining, resource recovery and scientific rejects disposal at Navapur. Similarly, Tamil Nadu Directorate of Town Panchayats issued a tender for removal of legacy waste dumped on resource recovery park dumpsite through bio-mining process in Punjai Thottakurichi Town Panchayat, Karur District.
As of March 3, 2024, a cumulative of 57 active tenders for biomining services issued by different government agencies and PSUs in India, spanning across several states. Among these, West Bengal stands out with 35 tenders, accounting for 48% of the total. Following closely is Karnataka with 17 live tenders, trailed by Madhya Pradesh with 8 tenders. Maharashtra has issued 5 tenders, while Tamil Nadu has 4, and both Kerala and Uttar Pradesh have 2 tenders each.
Biomining and bioremediation services are environmentally friendly methods and they play a vital role in environmental protection. The above statistics shows there is a significant demand available for procuring biomining and bioremediation services. Therefore, it is recommended that the firms which provide these services are to actively monitor and participate in the relevant tenders to grab the business opportunities in the future.