IIT Mandi Researchers Develop Methods to Use Orange-Peel Derived Hydrochar for Biofuel Precursors

New Delhi: Researchers from IIT Mandi have introduced a method to use orange peel derived hyrdochar to convert biomass into biofuel precursors. The IIT researchers have claimed that this method will be fruitful in producing green and clean fuel and will help India advance towards sustainable fuel development and become self-sufficient.

Dr Venkata Krishnan, Associate Professor at the School of Basic Sciences, IIT Mandi was the head of this research. This research was recently published in the journal named ‘Green Chemistry’. Along with Dr Krishnan, the paper was also co-authored by his students Tripti Chhabra and Prachi Dwivedi. 

“One of the driving interests among the renewable energy community is the development of relatively clean and energy-efficient processes to convert biomass into useful chemicals, including fuel,” stated Dr Krishnan. 

It is to be noted that biomass-derived products from naturally occurring materials – is currently the fourth most significant energy source that can meet the energy demand after coal, oil, and natural gas, in the country.

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IIT Mandi Orange-peel Hydrochar Research: Highlights

IIT Mandi’s research used orange-peel hyrdochar as a catalyst to convert biomass-derived chemicals into biofuel precursors. As a result, this will help to develop biomass-based fuel to overcome the socio-political instabilities associated with scarce petroleum reserves. The dried orange peel powder was heated with citric acid under pressure in a hydrothermal reactor (a lab-level “pressure cooker”) for many hours.

Further, the produced hydrochar was then treated with other chemicals to introduce acidic sulfonic, phosphate and nitrate, functional groups, to it. To further explain the process, Tripti Chhabra said “we used these three types of catalyst to bring about hydroxyalkylation alkylation (HAA) reactions between 2-methyl furan and furfural, compounds that are derived from lignocellulose, to produce fuel precursors.” 

This is the first comparative study in which the three types of acid functionalization have been assessed. Green metric calculations and temperature-programmed desorption were used to gain deeper insights. 

In other news, IIT Mandi also signed an MoU with the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on February 8, 2022, with the purpose of working towards the development of Landslide Monitoring and Early Warning Systems at certain sites in Himachal Pradesh. 

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