IIMB graduates design plant that converts waste to energy

An Indian-made waste-to-energy plant, that converts organic wet waste into bio-fuel, has found takers not just in India but across the world.

Biourja System, designed by two IIMB graduates Mainak Chakraborty and Sreekrishna Sankar, is a compact plant that can be fed with wet waste, particulary food waste. The duo came up with the idea to solve garbage woes in the City and encourage recycling.

The product was first used by the Akshaya Patra Foundation in 2013. Followed by its success, the technology was adopted at Infosys, Manipal University, BITS Pilani, TVS and many other firms. The two city-based residents started working on the project in 2011 and took three years to develop the plant. The plant has found takers across the globe in Malaysia, US, Japan, among other countries.

Explaining how it functions, Chakraborty said: “The plant is made up of an input system with shredders, a main digester, a gas storage system, sludge de-watering system and gas piping mechanism connected to the household kitchen facility along with burners. The plant has a waste processing capacity ranging from 100 kg  to  two tonnes per day. We customise the plant capacity and other features depending on the usage.”

The plant requires minimal space and for every one tonne of wet waste, it generates 70 kg of LPG-equivalent bio-gas.

“We have been working with municipal corporations across the country and have also approached the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. We are hoping to get a positive reaction from their end,” added Chakraborty, who along with Sankar, founded a clean energy technology company.