Pro. K.K. Other research areas of the group headed by Pant include biomass conversion into fuels and value-added chemicals and hydrogen from biomass/RDF gasification.
The researchers have developed e-waste recycling processes that are in line with the Indian ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ initiatives through a zero-waste discharge concept.
Indian Institute technology Researchers at Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) are developing sustainable technologies to deal with plastic and e-waste. Pro. K.K. A research group headed by Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee is working on the development of sustainable technology to tackle the ever-increasing menace of plastic waste and e-waste, as well as wealth creation through zero-waste discharge concept doing.
The researchers have developed e-waste recycling processes that are in line with the Indian ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ initiatives through a zero-waste discharge concept. The methodology adopted is divided into two steps: pyrolysis of e-waste and separation of metal fractions, and separate recovery of metals.
The proposed closed-loop recycling process can potentially be scaled up and used as a viable environmentally benign alternative to traditionally used acid-leaching techniques that pose highly hazardous risks .
read | Top French university bans use of ChatGPT to stop plagiarism
Pro. KK Pant said, “It is important to develop sustainable processes to handle plastic and e-waste, which are being generated in huge quantities in India, especially with the rapid increase in the use of electronic devices. If this If such processes are not developed and implemented across the country at the earliest, e-waste can cause long-term ecological and environmental degradation.
Pro. K.K. Pant’s research group is working on a number of initiatives on the ‘circular economy’, a model of production and consumption that involves recycling and using existing materials and products for as long as possible. Such initiatives are being supported by many leading government organizations and industries.
Pro. K.K. Other research areas of the group headed by Pant include biomass conversion into fuels and value-added chemicals and hydrogen from biomass/RDF gasification.
Based on the results of the lab-scale experiment, a 10 kg/hr continuous operation pyrolysis pilot plant has been designed. The calorific value of the gaseous and liquid fuel obtained from the pilot plant is 28 MJ/kg and 30 MJ/kg, respectively. H2 and CH4 are the major constituents of the gaseous product obtained from the pilot plant. In the next step, the obtained metal fraction was treated by various methods such as low-temperature roasting, alkali leaching, and methanesulfonic acid leaching to obtain higher concentrations of various important metals such as Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Ag, and Au and so on. for extraction. With the help of these processes, 90% of these metals were efficiently leached out. In addition, precipitation, electro-deposition, and cementation techniques were employed for the individual separation of metals.
In the case of plastic waste, researchers at IIT Roorkee focused on developing an integrated waste management approach involving efficient utilization of waste polymeric materials for the production of liquid grade hydrocarbons using catalytic cracking. The developed two-stage approach enables 100 per cent conversion of waste plastics into value-added products, with a liquid content of 75 per cent and a gas content of about 25 per cent.
The obtained results showed that the carbon chain length was mainly restricted to C5–C28 when metal-based zeolite catalysts were employed, indicating that the obtained liquids are fuel-like products. The thermo-chemical conversion is expected to open up new possibilities for large-scale treatment of waste plastics, thus supporting the overall economic viability of the developed process.
read all latest education news Here