SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 12: NITI Aayog has selected an idea of IIT Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad for developing advanced material through the recycling of scraps with the help of a mobile.
NITI Aayog received a total of 2538 idea proposals from 67 countries. 75 top ideas were shortlisted in two phases. The idea of IIT ISM Dhanbad is one of them.
The IIT ISM team comprised of assistant professors Dr Ajay Bhandari of department of mechanical engineering, Dr MR Rahul of fuel, minerals and metallurgical engineering and Dr Ashok Kamraj of department of material science and metallurgical engineering of IIT Hyderabad.
“We initially submitted the idea in November 2022 and the first phase of selection was conducted during the same month while the second phase of selection was completed in March 2023,” said Dr Ajay Bhandari.
Explaining the background of the idea, he said in the present scenario recycling of material is essential for efficient energy utilization and reducing environmental degradation.
“There needs to be more awareness of recycling materials, vendor details, economic benefits and environmental impact among common people. Moreover, there is also a need to encourage small and medium-scale industries to use scientifically proven recycling methods that are also profitable”, elaborated Dr Bhandari.
He further said the proposed mobile application will guide the community to connect with potential industries. “The application will serve as a database to connect the larger community with waste collection centres and recycling units. In addition, the application will be embedded with artificial intelligence to guide the individual to connect to relevant industries for better benefits” he said.
Dr Bhandari said the application will have literature for effectively developing advanced materials from scraps by integrating experimental and computational tools, to help venture into the recycling domain. He added that this will serve as scientific proof for value-added material for communities. In the long term, the application will bring behavioural changes in the community and establish a systematic and profitable model for recycling scrap.
