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Over 60 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi the Father of modern India had a dream
He envisaged an India comprising of self-sufficient communities
sustaining their needs from the local environment
60 years down the line, this vision is as vital as ever
25% of India’s primary energy mix comes from burning biomass
Diminishing forest reserves and increasing population necessitates
a coordinated effort to work towards a dependable and sustained source of energy
The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is a microcosm of India
It is home to people of different cultures, religions and geographies
It is one of the few institutes in the world which has dedicated research programs on Energy and the Environment
Events like Adopt a sampling draw a lot of attention towards our responsibility towards the nature
Of the multiple projects aiming at sustainability, the biogas pilot plant stands out
The Staff Canteen of IIT Bombay caters to most of the staff of the institute
About 20 years ago, in line with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s biogas promotion policy
a biogas plant was built to produce biogas from the food waste of the Staff Canteen
IIT Bombay, being a residential institute has 14 hostels accommodating around 6000 students
Every day 3 tonnes of food gets wasted in the institute
including the hostel messes, hostel canteens, institute restaurants and the staff canteen
The biogas potential of this kitchen waste is 180 m3 of gas every single day
We plan to merge the biogas plant with microbial fuel cell technology
the feed inside the anaerobic dome acts as the fuel at the anodes
membrane electrode assembly at the surface of the dome serves as the air cathode
This novel idea of integrating fuel cell technology with a biogas plant for the dual purpose
of producing energy and clean water will serve as model for future sustainable energy systems
With one stroke, we plan to fulfil Gandhi’s vision of using local resources
to provide valuable resources to the community
and serve as an example to the rest of the world