Student's creativity on display
The India International Trade Fair is back and with some difference this time. The over-arching theme at the popular fair this time is ‘Skilling India.’ As participating states and countries vie with each other to display their skills at highlighting the theme, some students at the Delhi Pavilion are displaying it zara hatke.
Delhi is regarded as one of the greenest capitals in the world and students of a few chosen government schools have shown the way forward to keep Delhi breathing and healthy. Their creativity has resulted in creation of working models, giving a thought for the future generations and highlighting the depletion of non-renewable resources.
Std XII students from DAV Senior Secondary School, No 1, Gandhi Nagar, Ankit Upadhyay and Nikhil Kumar Sharma have come up with a photobioreactor. “A bioreactor is a device which supports the environment biologically. For the future and betterment of the same we have come up with this device.
“The aim of this exhibit is the production of green algae (such as-spirulina) in large quantities by algal cultivation and further algal processing in order to obtain biodiesel. We wanted to see if the renewable energy source algae biodiesel would be able to minimise our dependence on crude oil,” explained Ankit to Metrolife.
A look at the step-by-step process does throw up the possibility that the experiment will have impact in the long run, and can be a possible replacement of fossil fuel.
The algae biodiesel could impact the transportation, economy and overall working substantially. The model is an eye-opener when it comes to gauging the state of the non-renewable resources.
According to Ankit, “Biodiesel is less polluting than petroleum diesel. Compared to petroleum diesel, biodiesel produces less soot (particulate matter), carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and sulfur dioxide.”
The Fair is surely a treat for shopaholics but also giving way for creative and futuristic minds.
Some facts about biodiesel
* Biodiesel burns up to 75 per cent cleaner than petroleum diesel fuel.
* It reduces unburned hydrocarbons (by 93 per cent less); carbon monoxide (50 per cent) and particulate matter (30 per cent) in exhaust fumes, as well as cancer-causing PAH (80 per cent)
* Biodiesel contains no sulphur.
* Biodiesel is plant-based and using it adds no extra CO2 greenhouse gas to the atmosphere.
* The ozone-forming potential of biodiesel emissions is nearly 50 per cent less than petrol-diesel emissions.
* Nitrogen oxide emissions may increase or decrease with biodiesel but can be reduced to well below petrol-diesel fuel levels.
