The Government of India has initiated a three-year initiative to convert waste into valuable materials as part of its effort towards promoting a circular economy and sustainability. The project, led by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) within the Ministry of Science and Technology, was carried out in the financial year 2023-24 with a budget allocation of Rs 666.27 crore.
On March 26, 2025, Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State for Science and Technology, replied to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, indicating that the mission tackles various types of waste, such as fossil fuel waste, biotic waste, metallic and non-metallic waste, and electronic waste.
Nineteen CSIR labs are working together to create innovative solutions, concentrating on three main areas: utilizing industrial waste, recycling e-waste, and converting biomass and fossil fuel waste into energy and valuable products.
The initiative has already accomplished significant successes. Scientists have created a technique to integrate discarded fired stoneware into new stoneware items on an industrial level. Waste from construction and demolition is now being transformed into resilient glass foam bricks with a compressive strength of around 4 MPa, providing an environmentally friendly substitute for conventional building materials.
Moreover, a prototype for reprocessing refractory waste for high-temperature uses has been developed, featuring as much as 40 percent recycled material. In the renewable energy field, researchers have created a mechanical separator to effectively dismantle solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, improving sustainability in the solar sector.
A new method based on organic acids has been created for extracting flavonoids and pectin from orange peel, applicable in food and pharmaceutical sectors. Additionally, CSIR has developed a method for the large-scale use of fly ash in the creation of synthetic aggregates, capable of substituting traditional natural aggregates in construction and minimizing environmental effects.
The mission highlights India's dedication to sustainable industrial practices and technological advancements in waste management, converting waste into economic resources while addressing environmental issues.
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