IIT Madras Researchers to Design Technology to Upcycle Paddy Waste

New Delhi: The researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras are all set to design and develop an environmentally sustainable method of recycling paddy waste. Tiju Thomas, an assistant professor in the metallurgical and materials department at IIT Madras, is in charge of the initiative.

According to IITM researchers, the strategy can make a significant contribution to lowering the common practice of burning agricultural waste and stubble in North India. As paddy waste can be used to create energy devices that can be used by the industry, farmers will also be able to create an alternative form of revenue, the official IITM statement said.

In addition, the statement claimed that the researchers are promoting a brand-new "Farm-energy Synergy" through the creation of usable activated carbon from organic refuse and kitchen waste. Researchers from IIT Madras have already illustrated how to turn bio waste into biomass by turning vegetable waste into activated carbon, which they then used to create supercapacitor electrode materials.

The paddy waste can be made suitable for the production of activated carbon using the same technique. The method currently being used to create activated carbon will be used in the future, along with scales of production.

According to Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, "Agriculture still remains to be at the heart of India's economy. The industry can assist in such projects with significant societal benefits. This ground-breaking technology will have a big impact on human health, the ecology, and the economy by turning biomass, like paddy waste, into activated carbon.

Informing that a crucial ingredient in the creation of supercapacitors is activated carbon, the researchers revealed that supercapacitors are advantageous to customers in the energy, electronics, and agricultural sectors and can promote industry self-sufficiency.

The researchers said that the solution they're coming up with is a clearly defined procedure. It will make it possible to turn the nation's paddy refuse into commercial-grade carbon material and use activated carbon to create supercapacitors that meet industry standards. According to Tiju Thomas, project leader, the material will be put into practise as an appropriate capacitor-based hybrid energy storage device.

Read More: