IIT-M to develop green tech for upcycling paddy waste

CHENNAI: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) plan to develop an eco-friendly technology to upcycle paddy waste and manufacture raw materials for industrial applications.

The technology will provide an additional source of income to farmers as paddy waste can be used to produce energy devices that can be used by the industry. This approach can make a key contribution to reducing stubble burning and burning of other farm waste in north India, a release from the institute said.

Researchers are fostering a new ‘Farm-Energy Synergy’ through their work with organic waste (especially kitchen waste) to develop usable activated carbon, a key component in making supercapacitors. They have many benefits in different sectors including electronics, energy and farming, and can help develop self-reliance in the supercapacitors field.

Self-reliance concerning supercapacitors and supercapacitor-based energy storage technology will enhance IP generation and employment within India. Currently, 760 lakh metric tons of paddy waste is generated annually in India. Farmers consider burning straw as the most low-cost and efficient alternative to tailing the straw into the soil, which causes pollution and reduces the potential utilisation of biomass, whose estimated loss for India is approximately Rs 92,600 crore.

IIT Madras has already demonstrated the conversion of bio-waste into biomass to activated carbon and have used it to make supercapacitor electrode materials. The plan is to use the approach being followed to make activated carbon.