Tag: Energy and Environment

Turning Steel Slug Dump to Greenery Hub, IIT Kharagpur’s Transformative Work at Odisha

IIT Kharagpur Researchers Transform Steel Plant Slag Dumps in Odisha into Greenbelt Using Traditional Indian Organic Components and Japanese Afforestation Techniques

A drive through Angul, near the Dhenkanal region of Odisha will give you vast stretches of green canopy and vegetation on what was once industrial dumpsites. The transformation to a green belt is not a natural reclamation but the Midas touch of the Post Mining Mine Site Restoration group of the Department of Mining Engineering of IIT Kharagpur through a project supported by Tata Steel BSL. The researchers afforested over 32000 square feet in the region following a rapid forest regeneration technique by a unique mix of the traditional resource of Panchagavya with the Miyawaki plantation technique of ecologist Prof. Akira Miyawaki from Japan.

The dumping of blast furnace slag by steel plants has been a perennial challenge in India and even in some of the developed countries in the world. These steel slag dumps contribute to the generation of airborne particles causing air pollution and also to groundwater and surface-water contamination through different pathways. The slag-covered land is unsuitable for vegetation growth and associated problems lead to the ruination of vegetation and health hazards for both humans and animals. Researchers at IIT Kharagpur have devised a bioremediation method to reduce the concentration of these polluting slags to an innocuous state.

A research team led by Prof. Khanindra Pathak from the Dept. of Mining Engineering at IIT Kharagpur, has turned this slag suitable for plant growth by mixing it with topsoil, cow dung and other organic enhancers. Plants carefully chosen for the Miyawaki technique and 22 native species were grown on the mix with a 30cm layer of topsoil over it administering them with Panchagavya.

“Periodic administration of Panchagavya checked the problem of nutrient scarcity while mulching helped retention of water and nutrients. In a span of one year, we witnessed the growth of a self-sustaining mini-forest, dominated by plants belonging to the family Fabaceae and Sesbania grandiflora. The plants with long root systems could utilize the steel slag with their roots penetrating up to a depth of 2 m from the ground surface, thus reducing the effects of groundwater contamination and surface runoff of water in the monsoons,” remarked Prof. Pathak.

“Vetiver grass was used as a boundary for the plantation to check migration of nutrients. This grass if grown over the slopes of the slag dumps will further check the fugitive emissions and thereby reducing air pollution and erosion of slag onto adjacent habitations,” he added.

The process led an unsupportive steel slag dump to a self-sustaining primary succession over it.   

The success of the present project has helped the industry to not only comply with the mandate of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India, but will protect the neighboring villages from airborne dust to a certain degree in addition to the usefulness of the vegetation developed to the villagers. Prof. Pathak earlier demonstrated stabilization of dump slope and prevention of erosion at the  Joda Mines in the Barbil region, which witnessed regeneration of thick vegetation cover. In another demonstration, a horticulture field was developed at Sonepur Bazari waste dump under a CSR project.

The approach established if implemented across such sites in the country would benefit millions of people leaving around the mining region. The damage caused to nature by anthropogenic activities can be repaired permanently following nature’s own way to heal. Restoration of the post-mining mine site is now mandatory, the approaches demonstrated contributions to the rural economy as well as to the regeneration of natural resources for the benefit of a large number of people of present and future generations.

The demonstrated methodology also has the possibility to eliminate the need for expensive geotextiles developed in the country using imported technology, opined Prof. Pathak. He further added about the replication of the process for municipality waste dumps. 

“Development of a vetiver grass field could be beneficial for urban wastewater management as well as municipality solid waste dump sites. We had also demonstrated hydroponic vetiver for the containment of oil in refinery wastewater through an IIT Kharagpur and IOCL collaborative project at the Bongaigaon refinery,” he remarked.

Contact: 

Project: Prof. Khanindra Pathak, E: khanindra@mining.iitkgp.ac.in; Sourav Mandal, E: souravm.iitkgp@gmail.com

Media: Shreyoshi Ghosh, E: shreyoshi@adm.iitkgp.ac.in

Connect on social media: Facebook: @IITKgp Twitter: @IITKgp Instagram: @iit.kgp; Or write to media@iitkgp.ac.in

More information: Dept. of Mining Engineering: http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/department/MI

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IIT Kharagpur Researchers Develop Industry-grade Silica from Rice Biomass

Rice husk is one of the most widely available agricultural wastes. The process of disposal of rice husks looks more crucial as burning the material each year during the winters has been creating a severe environmental challenge. While the husk is often used to meet energy requirements for rice milling, this process produces an enormous amount of ash (approx. 20%) which is a hazardous material to the environment. Researchers at IIT Kharagpur have devised an economic and eco-friendly way to dispose of this biowaste.

A team of researchers from IIT Kharagpur’s Dept. of Agricultural and Food Engineering have developed a chemical treatment which can separate the silica content in the husk ash residue which is about 90 – 95% and neutralize the remaining biomass for disposal in water bodies. 

“The silica extracted on purification has the potential of commercial grade silica which can further be used for production of metallurgical and solar grade silicon, confirmed the researchers,” said lead researcher Prof. A K Datta.

 

Four different alkalis, namely, KOH, K2CO3, NaOH, and Na2CO3, and two different solvents, namely, water and alcohol (ethanol) were selected to accomplish the extraction process. The physical and chemical characterizations of the extracted silica were evaluated using a field-emission scanning electron microscope attached with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, X-ray diffractometer, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer, and atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

To make the process eco-friendly and pollution-free, the rice husk ash was initially dispersed into the water and then Na2CO3 was added to it. As a result, carbonic acid was produced instead of CO2, which is harmless for the environment. 

“The results of the study suggested that the morphological, microstructural and compositional characteristics of the extracted silica nanoparticles (SiO2-NPs) are at par with the market available silica” explained Prof. Datta. 

The researchers have conducted a cost analysis of the treatment of silica samples to compare the costs with market grade silica. The result of the study suggested that the silica nanoparticle obtained from rice husk ash  can be a suitable low cost precursor for Magnesium silicide.

Research Paper Citation: 

Nayak, P., Datta, A. Synthesis of SiO2-Nanoparticles from Rice Husk Ash and its Comparison with Commercial Amorphous Silica through Material Characterization. Silicon (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-020-00509-y

Contact:

Project: Prof. A K Datta, Dept. of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Email: akd@agfe.iitkgp.ac.in

Media: Shreyoshi Ghosh, Executive Officer (Media & Communication), E: shreyoshi@adm.iitkgp.ac.in

About Dept. of Agricultural and Food Engineering, IIT Kharagpur

The Agricultural and Food Engineering Department is unique of its kind in the IIT system focusing on agricultural research and food and nutritional security. The department comprises six disciplines such as Farm Machinery and Power, Land and Water Resources Engineering, Agricultural Biotechnology, Food Process Engineering, Agricultural Systems Management and Aquacultural Engineering, respectively. The major domain of research and development includes Precision agriculture, biofuel and bioenergy, modern food processing, plasticulture and micro-irrigation, Climate Change, hydrological modeling, groundwater management, water management, agricultural biotechnology, pollution abatement, extrusion technology, intelligent and high pressure packaging, soil mapping and image analysis for plant phenotyping. Research projects include Integrated Rainwater Management, Soil Tillage, Utilisation of Fly ash, Ergonomic Database for Agricultural Equipment, Integrating Remote Sensing Data with Distributed Hydrological Models, Model Pilot Plant and koji room facilities for production of industrial enzymes etc. The department has high-throughput equipment, NABL accredited Analytical Food Testing laboratory, Advanced Laboratories in varied domains. The department has filed several patent applications and transferred many technologies to the industries and various stake-holders based on its innovative research. 

Contact Head of the Dept.

Prof. Rintu Banerjee

Phone: +91-3222-282244; Email : head@agfe.iitkgp.ac.in

The show begins

The IIT Kharagpur campus came alive today with the arrival of 32 teams of school children from all over India, as well as east and west Asia for the Young Innovators Program. For many of the children and their teachers and parents, it had been a long journey from home, but the excitement of reaching their destination and being part of the milling crowd of participants and guests refreshed them in no time. The children especially got down to the business of knowing each other almost immediately. As the day wore off, it was difficult to believe that some of them were meeting each other for the first time.

But then, the first day of the competition was all about familiarizing – especially with the campus. Through the tree-lined roads of the campus, the buses took them post-lunch to see the main academic complex, the Halls of residence, the Gymkhana, Nalanda, the tea garden and finally the Nehru Museum. Before that they had dropped in at the newly-opened DIY Lab of IIT Kharagpur, where they successfully managed to stump Prof. Vikranth Racherla, who showed them around the lab, with their questions. “I have never been asked so many questions even by my own students. I am so happy to see their curiosity,” said Prof. Racherla.

At the formal inauguration of the competition that followed the screening of a film on IIT Kharagpur, the guests were warmly welcomed by the Director of IIT Kharagpur, Prof. Sriman Kumar Bhattacharyya, together with Dean, International Relations, Prof. Baidurya Bhattacharya, and Associate Dean, Prof. Anandaroop Bhattacharya. The biggest event of the day was the ‘Pledge for the Environment’ that all the 300 assembled guests undertook at the Kalidas auditorium together with the organizers of YIP 2019. As custodians of the Green Planet, each in that congregation pledged to “respect all living things and the natural environment on which they depend, for each is a part of the chain that supports life on Earth.”

The children’s voices were heard the loudest in that pledge-taking. And no surprises there. “Energy and Environment” has been the most popular theme for students this year with the maximum teams competing in that category. From devising how harmful emissions from vehicles can be reduced, to waste water recycling, treatment and reuse, biodegradable sanitary pads, bioplastics, biodegradation of PET bottles, minimizing food waste , several other environment-friendly innovations have made way to the penultimate round of YIP 2019.

From here the mood will turn serious as teams battle each other to lift the winning trophy of this international competition. Irrespective of who wins, there is no doubt that Environment will emerge a big winner. “I haven’t burst crackers for two years,” said one from Team Green Trenders from St Arnolds School in Rourkela. “I haven’t burst crackers for four years,” said another contestant from the same team. They are here to show how bioplastics can be made from yam starch.

Seems like the Environment has won already.

Microwave for Clean Fuel

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Kitchen to Cosmos Microwaves these days ring ‘n’ number of bells. IITKGP Researchers have tapped this microwave radiation to create Clean Energy from the nitrogen-rich non-food Sunn Hemp plants.

In the wake of the ongoing initiatives to control pollution, we are often made to think of the proverb ‘prevention is better than cure’. There is an urgency to replace the use of fossil fuels like petrol and diesel which are direct causes of pollution, global warming and climate change. Various clean energy technologies have been developed. Acres of land in the country have been allocated for solar and wind energy, hydel power and geothermal projects have been deployed and expanded over the decades. But India’s fossil fuel import bill still runs high due to non-availability of renewable energy sources at mass scale. Biofuels derived from high-energy non-edible plant sources such as Sunn Hemp on the other hand have the potential of making it available in large scale for replacement of fossil fuel which can find significant use in transportation sector. The main obstacle to its large scale deployment as a future fuel is its highly crystalline structure and long polymer chains, which make the fibres inaccessible to enzymatic and chemical treatments.

Researchers from IIT Kharagpur’s P K Sinha Center for Bioenergy have exacted the issue through the use of microwave radiation. The team from the Bioenergy Lab at the Dept. of Chemical Engineering has successfully converted non-edible lignocellulosic fibres of Sunn Hemp to biofuel precursors, and that too completing the entire conversion – which otherwise takes about 8-10 hours – in only 46 minutes using the microwave reactors in the lab.

“1 kilogram of Sunn hemp fibres containing 756 gram of cellulose produces 595 gram of glucose at 160°C, and 203 gram of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) at 180°C, in 46 minutes. The glucose is separated and fermented using yeasts to produce 230 g of ethanol-based biofuel which is often used in automobiles as a biofuel additive for gasoline. The platform chemical HMF can also be hydrogenated to furanic biofuels such as dimethylfuran which can be used as a replacement for diesel” explained researcher Souvik Kumar Paul.

Sunn hemp is widely grown in the subtropics of Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, USA, Uganda. It is grown in almost all states of India, especially Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

The large scale availability of Sunn Hemp in India along with its fast rate of growth and high cellulose (75.6%) and high energy contents (2.5×109 MJ/year) are the key elements of listing it as a top choice for the biofuel industry. Sunn hemp fibres produce 2268 kg dry biomass/acre in only 9–12 weeks, with 19 megajoule of energy/kg dry biomass at a global production of 130,000 MT/year.

“Sunn hemp fibre has the unique potential of being converted to transportation biofuels rather than being merely used as bast fibre for weaving mats, etc. Our research will give its chemical composition the necessary stability for conversion and deployment as liquid biofuels, which can be used by the transportation industry in a large scale,” said Prof. Saikat Chakraborty, lead researcher and faculty at the Dept. of Chemical Engineering and P K Sinha Center for Bioenergy.

These chemical reactions are performed by the scientists at IIT Kharagpur in a large microwave digestion system that houses 16 high pressure reactors. By combining the dried Sunn hemp fibres with chemicals such as ionic liquid and metal catalysts, and water at high temperatures, they form large molecular structures in these microwave reactors. This supramolecular complex being polar in nature rotates under the microwave’s alternating polarity and rapidly dissipates the electromagnetic energy through molecular collisions across the reactors. These dipole rotations and intermolecular collisions help rapidly break the polymeric bonds in the Sunn hemp fibres and convert them to biofuel precursors in only 46 minutes.

“Biofuel production costs are minimized by recovering and recycling the ionic liquid,” added Chakraborty. “This conversion process, which can be used for a large spectrum of non-food lignocelluloses apart from Sunn hemp, is particularly suitable for commercialization because it results in a 10-fold decrease in the reaction time. A mixture of biomass can also be processed in these reactors rather than a single biomass without any further increase in the reaction time, which should make this process an attractive option for the biofuel industry.”

While the significant industry potential of this invention has led the scientists to file for a patent, their findings have also appeared in the globally renowned journal Bioresource Technology published by Elsevier.