plastic pollution – The KGP Chronicle

Mar

12

2021

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Studying Plastic Pollution in the Ganga with National Geographic

In-DepthClean Ganga, environment, Environmental engineering, Environmental Management, Ganga, Ganges, plastic, plastic ban, plastic pollution, plastic waste, river pollution, river water, solid waste, waste, Waste Management, Water pollution, water route, wet waste

Ganga, the life source of Northern and Eastern India is a prominent area of study by researchers from diverse disciplines, a key among them is the environment. In 2019, the National Geographic Society organized the expedition "Sea to Source: Ganges" to scientifically document plastic waste in the Ganges watershed and support holistic and inclusive solutions. A proud partner in this women scientists-led expedition was IIT Kharagpur along with the Isabela Foundation, University of Dhaka, the Wildlife Institute of India, and Wild Team Bangladesh. Researchers and students from an environment-focused group at the Dept. of Civil Engineering, IIT Kharagpur participated in…

Nov

16

2020

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By Shreyoshi Ghosh

Cucumber Peels for Ecofriendly Food Packaging

In-Depthbiodegradable, bioplastic, eco-friendly, Environmental engineering, Food engineering, food packaging, food technology, Food Waste, organic waste, packaging, plastic, plastic pollution, plastic waste, renewable

Are you throwing away the cucumber peels after preparing your salad? You may soon have them back in your kitchen as the eco-friendly packaging material for food items. IIT Kharagpur researchers have developed cellulose nanocrystals from cucumber peels with high cellulose content, compared to other peel wastes, which can be used to create food packaging materials. While single-use plastic is consciously being avoided by consumers, they still remain largely in circulation as food packaging items. Natural biopolymers are unable to make way in this industry as they lack strength, elongation, barrier property, optical property, and in some cases even biological…

Nov

05

2020

4 Comments

By Shreyoshi Ghosh

How safe is your tea in a paper cup?

In-Depthbio hazard, biohazard, bioplastic, disposable paper cups, environment, Environmental engineering, Environmental Management, harmful substances, hazard, Hazardous Materials, heavy metals, hot water, microplastic, paper cup, plastic, plastic ban, plastic pollution, plastic waste, pollution

IIT Kharagpur Research Gives Evidence of Microplastic Pollution in the Hot Liquid Consumed from Disposable Paper Cups With the current crusade against single-use plastic, disposable paper cups are on the rise especially for consuming water and hot beverages. But even these cups are not without peril. Recent research by IIT Kharagpur has confirmed contamination of the hot liquid served in paper cups due to the degradation of microplastics and other hazardous components from the lining material of the cup. Paper cups are usually lined by a thin layer of hydrophobic film which is made of mostly plastic (polyethylene) and sometimes…

Oct

23

2018

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By Shreyoshi Ghosh

Say No to Single-Use Plastic

Environmentenvironment, plastic, plastic ban, plastic pollution, plastic waste

Students at IIT KGP are working towards preventing single-use plastic usage Business Standard The Week The Echo of India Indian Express (PTI) NDTV Indian Express Indian Express (Print) NewsBytes The Telegraph The Telegraph (Print) About 30 students at IIT KGP have taken up the task of reducing single-use plastic usage in the campus. The students are in the process of forming a students’ society which among other environmental issues will extensively work towards creating social awareness in collecting and disposing of plastic waste including e-waste. The students have led by example not using single-use plastic for over 4 months and…