VNIT receives funding for centre ofexcellence in agri waste management
Nagpur: The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt of India, sanctioned a Rs 11.13 crore Centre of Excellence (CoE) at
Visvesvarya National Institute of Technology
(VNIT). The CoE, called SWAHA – Sustainability, Waste Valorisation, Agriculture, Health, Awareness, is the first of its kind in India. SWAHA will focus on F5 - food, feed, fodder, fuel, fertiliser through technology D4: design, development, demonstration, deployment.
Led by chemical engineering Professor Sachin Mandavgane with co-principal investigators Professor Manish Kurhekar (computer science engineering) and Professor Anupama Kumar (chemistry department), all from VNIT, the CoE involves seven national collaborators besides an industry partner.
The collaborating institutions are Nagpur Veterinary College, MAFSU, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Akola, IARI Delhi, AIIMS Nagpur, IIM Nagpur, JNU New Delhi, and Merino Industries Limited. The private collaborator, Merino, is the industrial partner that initiated the Merino Innovation Center at VNIT in 2019.
"The CoE will focus on creating value from agricultural waste like straw/stalk, horticulture waste (fruit, vegetables, and flowers), and food processing industry waste," Mandavgane told TOI.
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Co-Founder of Google Brain, Andrew Ng, Is Reported To Have Read Every...
Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List
Undo
The other collaborators in the multi-institute CoE include Nagpur Veterinary College's Professor Atul Dhok, Akola's Postgraduate Institute of Veterinary and Animal Science's Professor Kuldeep Deshpande, New Delhi's Indian Agriculture Research Institute's Dr Manoj Srivastav, AIIMS Nagpur's Professor Ranjan Solanki, IIM Nagpur's Professor Papi Reddy, JNU's Professor Madav Govind, and Merino Industry CMD Prakash Lohia.
Mandavgane added that the CoE's objectives are the valorisation of agri-waste (primary processing waste and on-farm residue) into food (nutraceuticals and functional food from fruit and vegetable waste), feed (primary processing on-farm agro waste), fodder, fertiliser, and fuel.
The CoE's purpose also includes the engineering design of agri-waste biorefinery from industrial engineering aspects, sustainability assessment and techno-economics of the developed processes, scaling up, replicability, and go-to-market strategy. Awareness and training related to circularity and sustainability issues, networking, and linkages will also be done.
Mandavgane said his team started working on agriculture waste utilisation more than a decade ago under the mentorship of the late Dr BD Kulkarni. "Through support from Merino Group at VNIT, the technologies developed in the lab could be scaled up and tested on the actual field," he said.
VNIT Director Prem Lal Patel said every stakeholder will contribute to this initiative. "It is a matter of pride for VNIT to bag such projects," he said.
Merino CMD Lohia said the industry can't have expertise as well as R&D facilities at the same time. "There has to be such collaboration and cooperation between industry and engineering colleges. Others must also follow VNIT's example," he said.
Krishna Kanth Pulicherla, scientist, member secretary for Waste Management Technologies Program, Technology Translation and Innovation Division (DST), said India produces 650 million tonnes of agricultural wastes. "It is used as fodder or fuel but lately farmers are burning it, especially in Northern India. CoE at VNIT aims to curb this menace and utilise the waste," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
43 minutes ago
- Hans India
Kazipet to produce new-gen MEMU trains
Hyderabad: Indian Railways is poised to roll out new-generation Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) trains to enhance short and medium-distance travel, Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy. These new MEMU trains, comprising 16 to 20 coaches, will be manufactured at the Rail Manufacturing Unit (RMU) in Kazipet, Telangana. They are specifically designed to cater to non-urban and semi-urban areas, particularly during festive seasons. Vaishnaw shared this update during a meeting with Reddy on Tuesday to discuss various initiatives underway in Telangana. The RMU in Kazipet is being constructed with a revised cost estimate of Rs 716 crores, targeting completion by January 2026. Production activities are expected to commence around May 2026. Shubanshu Shukla embarks on ISS mission Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Kishan Reddy extended his congratulations to Shubanshu Shukla, who is representing 1.4 billion Indians on his space journey as part of the Axiom Mission 4. Reddy noted that 41 years after Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma's historic mission, Shubanshu Shukla has become the second Indian to travel to space and the first to reach the International Space Station (ISS), a source of immense pride for every Indian. 'I wish for the success of this 14-day mission and hope all its objectives are achieved smoothly,' he said . Reddy added that this mission will inspire further advancements in India's science and technology capabilities in space exploration. He also extended his sincere wishes to the astronauts from Hungary, Poland, and the United States participating in this mission.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
Green Initiative: With new projects, 3 Kolkata colleges turn waste into fuel
In a major push towards sustainable energy, NRS Medical College, Calcutta Pavlov Hospital, and Adyapeath Annada Polytechnic College have successfully launched a pilot project that turns kitchen waste into biogas to run their canteens. Guided by the West Bengal Renewable Energy Department, the initiative is already showing results, saving on fuel costs and cutting down harmful emissions. Biogas is produced when organic matter like leftover food and vegetable waste is broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen, a process known as anaerobic digestion. What's left behind is a slurry that works as a natural fertilizer for farming and also as feed in fishery. The three institutions now use this green fuel directly in their kitchens, reducing dependence on expensive LPG. A senior official from the Renewable Energy Department said the idea stemmed from the growing burden of waste disposal in large establishments like hospitals, malls, and hotels.'Nowadays, LP gas which is generally used for cooking is very costly. Biogas can be easily replaced with LP gas with less cost.' The senior official said that, due to inadequate waste management infrastructure and rising volumes of waste, the problems have become acute, ranging from foul-smelling garbage piles to unreliable collection systems and logistical challenges. He added that untreated organic waste dumped in landfills leads to dangerous methane emissions and environmental contamination. 'The disposal problems of organic waste are twofold. Firstly, organic materials cause severe environmental problems through methane emission in landfill applications. Secondly, disposed organic waste is the prime source of diseases and contamination of air and water.' Methane, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is 21 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. Biogas production not only prevents such emissions but also creates a cleaner environment. According to the energy department sources the biogas plants at NRS and Pavlov hospitals were installed on March 25, each with a 250 kg daily waste capacity and a five-year maintenance plan. The plant at Adyapeath Annada Polytechnic College was completed earlier this month. Together, the three projects cost over Rs 50 lakh. Every day, the kitchens feed 250–300 kg of waste, such as vegetable scraps, rice slurry, and leftovers, into the digesters. This produces between 15 and 25 cubic meters of biogas, depending on the volume of input, which is then piped directly to the kitchens. The nutrient-rich slurry left behind is used in the institutions' gardens. Prasenjit Ghosh, kitchen manager at the NRS canteen, said the system is not only cost-effective but also keeps the hospital surroundings clean. 'This is a very useful project. We are getting energy from waste. It gives us profit in two ways, clean premises and green fuel,' he said. Debashish Goria, a technical expert involved in the project, explained that 100 kg of biodegradable waste can produce around 10 cubic meters of methane gas—equivalent to 4 to 5 kg of LPG. With more waste, the system can generate the equivalent of up to 30 kg of LPG, offering significant savings and energy security. West Bengal Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the green kitchens. 'We're happy with the results at NRS and Pavlov hospitals. It is a step towards a cleaner and greener future. We are planning to expand the project to other hospitals as well,' he said. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Karnataka government schoolkids to get online learning resources from Khan Academy
Bengaluru: In what could be the biggest digital intervention project for govt school students in the state, the department of school education and literacy has entered into an MoU with US-based not-for-profit Khan Academy to offer online learning resources to children of classes 6-II PU. With this, students will have access to maths, physics, chemistry, biology, economics, and English resources. One hour on Saturdays will be dedicated to using these resources in schools. Students and teachers will be given a login ID, mobile app, and access to KhanMigo artificial intelligence tool free of cost. The account can be used throughout their lives free of cost. "Teachers should guide students to use vast learning resources on the portal, the practice tests and skills, and revision modules for supplemental understanding, clarification of concepts, achieving higher learning levels, self-study for competitive examinations, etc. The teachers will also train students of classes 8-II PU on how to use the KhanMigo artificial intelligence tool, which itself will work as a digital tutor," said an official. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru A budget of Rs 5.4 crore will be set apart for training of teachers. "This will enable teachers to upgrade/refresh their skills and subject knowledge, use content for quizzes, tests, use KhanMigo as a teaching assistant, prepare lesson plans for classes, etc. It is a win-win situation for all," the official said. The contents are also expected to help in preparation for competitive exams. The project is expected to help 15.9 lakh students in 26,597 govt schools and about 3.1 lakh students from 1,229 govt PU colleges. The contents are in sync with National Council of Educational Research and Training textbooks, which are used by the state syllabus schools. The department officials said the data on the Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS) regarding the availability of functional computers is wrong and misleading; most schools have the infrastructure. "If not a computer, all schools have digital boards on which the content can be projected from a mobile. This year, Rs 35 crore is allotted in the state budget and separately under Samagra Shikshana each for digital boards/computers," said the official. The govt order states no grant will be released to Khan Academy for the implementation of this programme.
