IIT Guwahati uses fruit waste to purify polluted water

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) has developed a method to remove toxic pollutants from industrial wastewater using biochar made from fruit waste. This sustainable and low cost method extracts biochar from fruit waste such as pineapple crowns and musambi fibers, as per the official statement.

The researchers at the engineering institute, through the developed method, were able to absorb nitroaromatic compounds, a class of hazardous chemicals, commonly found in wastewater from industries such as dyes, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and cosmetics, the institute said.

Explaining the usage of the newly developed method, Gopal Das, department of chemistry at IIT Guwahati, said: "This work demonstrates how waste materials can be transformed into valuable resources for environmental protection. By using fruit waste to tackle industrial pollution, we are not only addressing water contamination but also promoting a circular economy approach to waste management."

Nitroaromatic compounds post a threat to both human health and ecosystems. Once in the environment, they remain there for long periods, harming aquatic life and human populations, the institute said.

These compounds could be linked to toxicity, cancer, and generic mutations, making their removal from wastewater a difficult challenge. Hence, to address the problem, IIT Guwahati was able to find the potential of biochar, a carbon-rich material produced from fruit waste through a process called pyrolysis, the institute added.

“This process involves decomposing organic materials at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen to produce char, gas, and liquid products. The team chose pineapple crowns and mosambi fibers, which are usually thrown away as waste. They transformed these materials into two types of biochar: ACBC (Ananas Comosus Biochar) and MFBC (Citrus Limetta Biochar). These biochars were then tested for their ability to remove 4-nitrophenol, a widely recognized nitroaromatic pollutant found in industrial wastewater,” it said.

Recently, the engineering institute has also developed advanced robots for surveillance at the international borders. The robots will work on AI-powered surveillance and are capable of uninterrupted, real-time monitoring across challenging terrains.

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IIT Guwahati's wastewater treatment method

Notably, the researchers have also found another aspect of the study, which includes the recyclability of the biochar. “Both ACBC and MFBC retained their high performance over multiple cycles, meaning they can be reused several times without losing effectiveness. This feature makes the approach not only sustainable but also economically viable for industries looking for long-term wastewater treatment solutions,” the institute further added.

The biochar can be used as a filtration system that could be integrated into water purification setups for rural communities. Hence, providing an affordable way to remove harmful organic materials from drinking water.

It could also be applied to environmental solutions by helping restore polluted water bodies and improve soil quality in areas affected by industrial discharge. “With its combination of low-cost production, high efficiency, and sustainability, this approach offers a promising alternative to conventional wastewater treatment technologies,” it said.

Furthermore, the developed method will undergo a lab-scale testing, followed by field trials and market validation, before implementing it to full-scale commercial production.