INST Mohali develops AI-powered solar filter to purify 99% toxic wastewater
As the state continues to grapple with the discharge of 764 million litres of untreated industrial and domestic sewage daily into the Sutlej via Ludhiana's heavily polluted Buddha Nullah, the innovation offers a ray of hope.
'Our technique targets highly toxic industrial dyes like Congo Red (CR) and Methylene Blue (MB), commonly used in textile and pharmaceutical industries,' lead researcher Dr. Aviru Basu told The Indian Express. 'These dyes not only discolor water but also cause skin disorders, respiratory problems, and long-term health issues.'
The filtration system uses a hybrid 3D-printed scaffold made from biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA), coated with bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃) — a solar-activated catalyst. 'Unlike traditional wastewater treatments like electrochemical or ozone processes, which are expensive and energy-intensive, our technology is low-cost, eco-friendly, reusable, and powered by renewable energy,' said Dr. Basu.
The innovation, called Piezo-Photocatalysis, activates the catalyst using a combination of solar light and gentle vibrations, allowing it to function effectively even under changing weather conditions. Lab results showed a 98.9% removal of Congo Red and 74.3% of Methylene Blue, surpassing many existing advanced water treatment methods.
The system was successfully tested on real wastewater samples collected from a large industrial drainage point in Jaipur, where over 100 factories discharge effluents. 'The results were very satisfactory,' said Dr. Basu.
To boost performance further, the team integrated Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) — a machine learning model — to accurately predict how the system would behave under different environmental and pollutant conditions. 'Our AI model has up to 99% prediction accuracy,' Dr. Basu added.
INST is now collaborating with plant biotechnologist Dr. Adriza Basu of Chandigarh University to improve the system's long-term sustainability. The project, funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has been published in Nano Energy, a journal by Elsevier.
Dr. Basu believes the scalable technology could be a game-changer for rural and peri-urban areas. 'If the Punjab government adopts this, we could safely discharge treated water into the Sutlej. It would be a giant leap toward cleaning Buddha Nullah and addressing the state's toxic water crisis,' he said.
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