Practicing Sustainable living in Bangaluru!

 Life came another full circle this year, albeit a little earlier – On Holi Pournima instead of Akshay Tritiya.

I was finally able to put my long-cherished desire of celebrating Holi Pournima in a science-based manner into reality. Samuchit Enviro Tech sent me their yet another compact tool called Sampada Gasifier Stove which turns dry garden/agri/horticulture waste into the Black Gold – the Biochar. As the shackles of micro containment zone were being tightened on our complex, I quickly barged into a dear south Indian friend’s house where I knew I would always find a bagful of coconut shells as fuel for the stove. And it worked, a smokeless fire – Holi/Holika burnt in Sampada, right in my balcony. In less than an hour’s time, I had the chunks of Black Gold in my possession. 

PC: Meera Rotti and Samuchit Sampada Gasifier Stove

Back in 2002, when Dr. Priyadarshini Karve was teaching Physics in engineering undergrad class, I was fortunate to be in the class she had organized post college hours to demonstrate the use of Biochar fired Sarai cooker, an invention that had won an international award that was popularly known as the 'Green Oscar'. I vividly remember the moment of fascination; however, little did I know that it would take me 13 long years to become a regular and content user of that.

By 2013, the winds of sustainable living had started blowing in Metropolis of Bengaluru and I was finding it difficult to not sail in that direction despite knowing that my boat is indeed small. The only person I had known to be working in the field of sustainability – rather sustainability in as simple as your own house – was Dr Priyadarshini Karve. I started reading each and every piece of writing featuring on Samuchit Enviro Tech’s webpage. 11 years after its first demo, Sarai Cooker touched my heart deeper and I was longing to own it. The opportunity came in 2015 when Sarai was on exhibit as a part of a seminar by Dr. Priyadarshini Karve in Bengaluru. I bought it right there, carried it home on my scooter with great excitement. Next day, I looked up on India Mart for suppliers of coconut shell charcoal to fire the cooker. I chose the nearest one – 150 km away, and got my 40kg bag of renewable charcoal within a week’s time. And in a week’s time, on the Akshay Tritiya of 2015, I cooked a humble meal of dal, rice and snake gourd subji in the Sarai Cooker. The taste and texture of dal and rice experienced on that day has kept me in love with this cooker till the date.

Sarai Cooker (Samuchit Steam Cooker)

Post the entry of Sarai Cooker in my life in 2015, my outlook for dry garden waste changed completely. Also, I had started feeling the need to source the fuel with shorter carbon miles. It wasn’t a surprise that Samuchit’s Charring Kiln caught my fancy now. 2016 Spring-summer was unusually hot and dry and fueling my desire to possess the Kiln. I simply ordered it and it arrived a day before Akshay tritiya of 2016. And the next day, needless to say, I created the Black Gold by easily assembling the kiln with help from my supportive husband and my 3 year old daughter. Management Committee members of our complex graced the occasion by their presence and by providing the dry twigs for the demo. It was indeed exciting to sail with these winds. That Summer and the next two, gardeners of our complex and I were able to turn quite a lot of twigs, coconut shells and coconut and areca branches into biochar and put into our garden soil.

Samuchit Trashflasher Kiln

A week before 2018’s Akshay Tritiya, I had the privilege of hosting Dr Priyadarshini Karve at my place and serve her the great Dal-rice-cooked-in-Sarai. It would have been the perfect occasion had I been able to make the biochar briquettes myself using the kiln. Well, that remains a dream till today, for lack of my concerted efforts.

Untimely heavy rains of Spring-Summer of 2019 and 2020 robbed us the opportunity of using the kiln to full potential. Our gardeners and I are still learning to use the kiln for best results from varied items of garden waste like coconut branches, leaves of varying thickness etc. Dr Priyadarshini Karve always provides the quick troubleshooting tips.

This year’s advancement was with the portable version of the charring Kiln – Sampada Gasifier stove. I wanted to have it so that I could organize its demonstration within my circle without having to spend on transporting the heavy Kiln. Bengaluru’s mid-summer showers are round the corner limiting my engagement with the kiln. However, the mini-kiln, the Sampada and the ubiquitous coconut shells should keep me sailing despite the rains which are much needed now.

The simplicity of design of these three, and the purpose they serve in the humongous picture of Climate Change continues to fascinate me. I hope witnessing a demonstration of these technologies in your vicinity would turn you into yet another ardent user sooner or later.

By Meera Rotti, Bangaluru

www. samuchit.com

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PS: Samuchit has discontinued Sarai Cooker and is now offering Samuchit Steam Cooker, that works on the same principle but is more efficient with better fire containment. 

Links to Videos of the devices mentioned: 

Samuchit Steam Cooker Stove 

Sampada Gasifier Stove 

Samuchit Trashflasher Kiln 

My City My Responsibility - Climate friendly Garden waste management

Dear All, 

On last Thursday 7th Feb, 2019 we at Samuchit conducted a full day workshop on Climate Friendly management of Garden waste in Indradhanushya Environment and Citizenship Centre, Pune. I have been associated with Samuchit for the past two years now, however, this was the first time I participated in one of the core work areas of Samuchit related to waste management and climate change and I was super excited for the same.  

Though it was a full day workshop, Dr Karve, planned it in a very engaging, inclusive, detailed and free flowing manner giving ample time for questions and discussions. I am sure no one must have been exhausted at the end of the day except the speaker. 

Group Photo.
PC: Harshil R

In the first half part of the day, Dr Karve took us back to fifth grade science where she explained the carbon cycle that helps understand the critical phenomenon of Climate Change in a simple manner. She clarified a lot of myths around composting, burning and traditional/religious practices and explained the scientific reality. She also explained that garden wastes having higher generation rate and lower decomposition rate makes the management of this waste biomass more difficult. Even though burning of waste is prohibited, most housekeepers or helpers tend to burn this biomass in open air, creating a lot of local pollution.

Here, Samuchit's technology of converting the dried biomass (garden waste) into char through gasification plays a very crucial role. In this case only a small quantity of the biomass is burnt initially, that heats up and gasifies some of the biomass. The hot gas is burnt under controlled air supply, which then keeps the process of "heating - gasification - burning of gas" going.  This ensures practically smokeless waste management and The residue formed is char. Once the flame of the burning gas dies out, the char embers can be doused with water to prevent them from burning down to ash. The char can be used in multiple ways after sufficiently drying. More importantly, the char is nothing but solid nonreactive carbon which has been prevented from going into the atmosphere - this is a very low tech carbon capture technology that can help combat climate change. 

This char is also known as semi activated charcoal or Biochar. Dr Karve showed, short and crisp videos of setting up and working of the equipment known as Samuchit Transflasher kiln and Sampada gasifier stove. However seeing its working on site was the most exciting part of the workshop. A demonstration of both these equipments was undertaken by Prashant Borate and Karan Shelar in the garden area of Indradhanushya using available garden waste. This was a very enlightening session for all, since we not only saw the actual working of these kilns but also witnessed practical problems that can be faced while using these kilns and discussed about various issues around climate change and its impacts.  

Demo - Samuchit Transflasher Kiln

Interactions during DEmo

We had a quick working lunch and all of us were back to the second part of the workshop, curious to know what all can be done with this 'Biochar'. Biochar can be easily used in many applications. Samuchit is using this char for making briquettes that can be used as fuel. The procedure is simple but may not be feasible at such a small scale as a residential garden plot. However, a deodorizer or a natural air freshner is one of the most handy usages of this product. Instead of using naphthalene balls or air freshners that use chemicals to produce a fragrance, one can use this char powder that ensures that organic particulate pollutants, including aromatic compounds that produce bad odours, are removed from air. 

A hands on activity for making a deodorizer pack was undertaken by Prashant Borate giving a sense of handling the char. Using deodorizer is simple and hassle free. After using a pack of deodorizer for a month or two, one can simply put the char into the garden soil. The concept of using biochar for plants helps improve soil fertility and is sequestering carbon in soil. This helps in mitigating climate change impacts. 

Flowchart

Last and the most delicious part of the day, having steam cooked corn in Samuchit's Steam Cooker that works on the char briquettes made out of the biochar, was the most nutritious tea time snack we ever had. Dr. Karve showcased the working of this steam cooker through a video and Karan Shelar demonstrated its actual working and design in the hall. Based on the concept of slow cooking, Samuchit's Steam cooker ensures that the flavours are intact along with nutritional value of the food that is being cooked in this cooker.

Understanding the global problem of Climate Change and mitigating the same through such simple, local, easy to use solutions can help resolve the global problem in a very innovative way. Its important to know that though Climate Change is a global problem, I am the ONE who is responsible for creating it and only I can resolve it. 

For viewing the videos of kilns and Samuchit Steam Cooker click on this link. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQz1_oM7hY20oJsWoSDKPNg

Pournima Agarkar. 

www.samuchit.com  

MUSINGS FROM PRIYADARSHINI KARVE: Carbon Negativity... Revisited!

I wrote two blog posts Carbon Negativity - 1 and  Carbon Negativity - 2 in January 2018 - months before the IPCC 1.5 deg C report came out. Now with that report the urgency around measures towards carbon negativity has become heightened. I have no idea how the multi-million dollar technologies being touted by the big business interests across the world are going to pan out. I am however confident that with the waste biomass that all of us generate in varied quantities in our daily lives, we can do our bit towards carbon negativity. Biocharing is one of the techniques available to us for this purpose.

आयपीसीसीचा १.५ डिग्री सें. अहवाल येण्याच्या काही महिने आधी, जानेवारी २०१८ मध्ये, मी कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटी या विषयावर दोन ब्लॉग पोस्ट्स लिहिल्या होत्या -  कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटी - १ आणि  कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटी - २ . आता हा अहवाल आल्यानंतर कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटी तातडीने साध्य करण्याची गरज अधोरेखित झाली आहे. जगभरातील मोठे व्यावसायिक लक्षावधी डॉलर्सचा खर्च असलेल्या तंत्रांचा यासाठी प्रसार करत आहेत, त्यांची वाटचाल भविष्यात कशी होईल मला माहीत नाही. पण आपल्या आजुबाजूला आपल्याच दैनंदिन व्यवहारातून जो जैविक कचरा आपण निर्माण करतो आहोत, त्याचा वापर करून आपण कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटीसाठी थोडेफार योगदान निश्चित देऊ शकतो, याबद्दल मला खात्री वाटते. यासाठी जी तंत्र आपल्याला उपलब्ध आहेत, त्यापैकी एक बायोचारिंग हे आहे. 

A big thank you to all the participants of the Hands On Training on Climate Friendly Garden Waste Management on 7 Feb 2019. I hope that some of you have been inspired to give this process a try to deal with your garden waste AND to go carbon negative!

बागेतील काडीकचऱ्याचे क्लायमेट फ्रेंडली व्यवस्थापन या विषयावर ७ फेब्रुवारी २०१९ रोजी आयोजित कार्यशाळेत सहभागी झालेल्या सर्वांचे मी आभार मानते. आपल्यापैकी काहीजण आपल्या बागेतील काडीकचऱ्याच्या विल्हेवाटीसाठी या तंत्राचा वापर करून पहाण्यासाठी पुढे याल, व कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटीकडे वाटचाल कराल, अशी मी आशा करते!

Priyadarshini Karve

Samuchit Enviro Tech

प्रियदर्शिनी कर्वे

समुचित एन्व्हायरो टेक

#BeModernBeResponsibleBeRespectful

   

Samuchit Enviro Tech.     samuchit@samuchit.com     www.samuchit.com 

MUSINGS FROM PRIYADARSHINI KARVE: Quest for Carbon Negativity Part 2 शोध कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटीचा भाग २

In the previous blog, I talked about how converting garden waste to char can take you towards carbon negativity, as against burning in open air or composting the garden waste. But charring also opens up other easy to use ways to reduce your personal impact on the environment. 

मागच्या ब्लॉगमध्ये बागेतल्या पालापाचोळा व काडीकचरा उघड्यावर जाळण्याऐवजी किंवा त्याचे कंपोस्ट करण्याऐवजी त्याचा कोळसा करून आपण कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटीकडे कसे जाऊ शकतो, याबद्दल मी बोलले होते. पण कोळसा आपल्याला पर्यावरणावरचा आपला व्यक्तिगत अनिष्ट परिणाम कमी करण्याचे आणखीही काही सोपे मार्ग उघडून देतो.  

* If you add the char to your garden soil, it will help retain moisture and create more space for soil bacteria to reside in. Thus, the water requirement of your garden will reduce, and your soil will become more fertile, reducing the requirement of any kind of fertilizer. As your garden becomes more efficient in producing plant biomass per unit resources put in, you are indirectly contributing to the natural process of removing carbon dioxide from air.

* जर तुम्ही हा कोळसा आपल्याच बागेतील मातीत मिसळून टाकलात, तर तो ओलावा धरून ठेवतो, आणि मातीतील जीवाणूंना रहाण्यासाठी अधिक जागा उपलब्ध करून देतो. यामुळे आपल्या बागेची पाण्याची गरज कमी होते, आपली माती अधिक सुपीक होते, आणि आपली कोणत्याही प्रकारच्या खताची गरज कमी होते. आपण मातीत घालत असलेल्या संसाधनांच्या तुलनेत जैवभार निर्माण करण्याची आपल्या बागेची कार्यक्षमता जशी वाढत जाते, तसे आपण हवेतील कार्बन डायॉक्साइड काढून घेण्याच्या नैसर्गिक प्रक्रियेला अप्रत्यक्षरित्या हातभार लावतो. 

* Char has the capacity to capture and hold organic molecules. You can therefore use the char as organic deodorizer in your toilet, closet, or car, thereby avoid using chemical air freshners. This is another indirect contribution to reducing carbon emissions by replacing a product that is transported over long distances with a local product and also reducing air pollution. After a couple of months of use of the organic deodoriser, the char powder can be put into the soil to improve the soil quality and we also help remove the carbon from air. 

* कोळशामध्ये सेंद्रीय रेणू पकडण्याची आणि धरून ठेवण्याची क्षमता असते. त्यामुळे आपण तयार केलेला कोळसा आपल्या स्वच्छतागृहात, बंद कपाटात, गाडीमध्ये नैसर्गिक दुर्गंधीनाशक म्हणून वापरू शकतो, आणि रासायनिक दुर्गंधीनाशकांचा वापर टाळू शकतो. लांबून वहातूक करून आणाव्या लागणाऱ्या उत्पादनाच्या जागी स्थानिक उत्पादन वापरूनही आपण अप्रत्यक्षरित्या कार्बन उत्सर्जन आणि हवेचे प्रदूषण थांबवण्याला हातभार लावतो. साधारण दोनेक महिने दुर्गंधीनाशक वापरल्यानंतर त्यातील कोळसा पावडर मातीत मिसळून टाकली तर मातीची सुपिकता सुधारून हवेतला कार्बन काढून घेण्याला हातभारही लावता येतोच.  

* If you process the char to make char briquettes and use these as fuel with Samuchit Steam Cooker, you can avoid using LPG or PNG as cooking fuel for at least 50% of your cooking. Both of these gases are fossil fuels and therefore contribute to carbon emission when used, without any natural return path for the carbon to come back to the earth’s surface as fossil fuels. When you burn char, you are contributing to carbon emission too, but the char we are using is made from dry leaves and twigs shed by trees and bushes. Even if we had not made any use of the garden waste, the carbon was going to go back to the atmosphere anyway. The trees and bushes from where the waste has originated are still growing, and therefore the carbon is naturally getting converted back into biomass. Thus, by using carbon that is part of a natural carbon cycle for meeting our cooking energy need, we are avoiding use of the corresponding amount of fossil fuel, and thus contributing to reducing carbon emission. 

* जर तुम्ही पालापाचोळ्याच्या कोळशावर आणखी प्रक्रिया करून कांडी कोळसा तयार केलात, तर तुम्ही समुचित स्टीम कुकरमध्ये इंधन म्हणून त्याचा वापर करू शकता. यापध्दतीने तुम्ही तुमचा किमान ५० टक्के स्वयंपाक एलपीजी किंवा पीएनजी न वापरता करू शकता. हे दोन्ही वायू खनिज इंधने आहेत, त्यामुळे त्यांचा वापर होतो तेव्हा कार्बन उत्सर्जन होते, आणि हा कार्बन वातावरणातून परत पृथ्वीतलावर खनिज इंधन या मूळ स्वरूपात आणण्याचा कोणताही नैसर्गिक मार्ग कार्बनचक्रात नाही. कोळशाच्या ज्वलनानेही कार्बन उत्सर्जन होतेच आहे, पण आपण वापरत असलेला कोळसा झाडाझडुपांवरून गळून पडलेल्या पालापाचोळ्याचा आणि काडीकचऱ्याचा बनवलेला आहे. आपण हा कचरा वापरला नसता, तरी त्यातला कार्बन या ना त्या मार्गाने हवेत जाणारच होता. या कचऱ्याचे मूळ असलेल्या झाडाझुडुपांची वाढ होतेच आहे, त्यामुळे हवेत गेलेला हा कार्बन नैसर्गिकरित्या परत जैवभारात रूपांतरित होणारच आहे. त्यामुळे नैसर्गिक कार्बन चक्राचाच भाग असलेल्या कार्बनचा जेव्हा आपण स्वयंपाकाची ऊर्जा सेवा मिळवण्यासाठी वापर करतो, तेव्हा तेवढ्या स्वयंपाकासाठी खनिज इंधनांचा वापर टाळून आपण कार्बन उत्सर्जन कमी करण्याला हातभार लावतो. 

Samuchit Steam Cooker Stove
समुचित स्टीम कुकर स्टोव्ह

Samuchit Steam Cooker Stove allows us to cook everything that is prepared by boiling and steaming (e.g., rice, pulses, steamed vegetables, idali, dhokla, boiled eggs, boiled corn, etc.). As the food gets cooked slowly and at a relatively lower temperature, it is healthier and tastier. At the same time, the stove, once set up and started the fire, does not require any attention, and therefore is a great time saver for the cook. 
MRP with taxes INR 3500. 

समुचित स्टीम कुकर स्टोव्हमध्ये आपण उकळून व वाफवून करण्याचे सर्व पदार्थ (उदा. भात, डाळ, वाफवलेल्या भाज्या, इडली, ढोकळा, उकडलेली अंडी, उकडलेले मक्याचे दाणे, इ.) तयार करू शकतो. यामध्ये अन्नपदार्थ सावकाश व कमी तापमानाला शिजत असल्याने अधिक पौष्टिक व रुचकर बनतात. त्याचवेळी, एकदा तयार करून कोळसा पेटवल्यानंतर त्याच्याकडे लक्ष द्यावे लागत नाही, आणि त्यामुळे स्वयंपाक करणाऱ्याचा वेळ वाचतो. 
करासह किंमत रू.३५००. 

India has voluntarily taken on ambitious targets of reducing the country level carbon emission between 2020 and 2025, under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change that was signed in 2015. If India manages to not just meet but exceed the target, it will make us a leader in global politics in a period where climate change is increasingly taking centre stage in international negotiations around trade and technology transfer agreements. Urban Indians need to take on more responsibility to achieve this as we are contributing substantially to India's carbon emissions through our lifestyle. 

२०१५ साली जागतिक वातावरणबदलाबाबत झालेल्या आंतरराष्ट्रीय पॅरिस करारात भारताने २०२० ते २०२५ या कालावधीत आपले राष्ट्रीय कार्बन उत्सर्जन कमी करण्यासाठी काही महत्वाकांक्षी ध्येये स्वेच्छेने स्वीकारली आहेत. पण २०२५ पर्यंत आपण ही ध्येये गाठण्यातच नाही तर त्यांच्याही पुढे जाण्यात यशस्वी झालो, तर जिथे जागतिक वातावरणबदल वेगवेगळ्या आंतरराष्ट्रीय वाटाघाटी आणि व्यापारी करारांतही महत्वाची भूमिका बजावतो आहे, अशा जागतिक राजकारणात आपली पत उंचावेल. आपल्या राष्ट्रीय कार्बन उत्सर्जनात शहरी भारतीयांच्या जीवनशैलीचा मोठा वाटा आहे. त्यामुळे शहरी नागरिकांनी कार्बन उत्सर्जन कमी करण्याच्या प्रयत्नांना अधिक हातभार लावला पाहिजे. 

If farmers in Punjab choose to go carbon negative, they will not only support India's Climate Change Mission, but will also help solve Delhi's winter smog problem. If we in Pune embrace carbon negativity today, it will help us avoid being in the same situation as Delhi tomorrow. 

पंजाबमधील शेतकऱ्यांनीही कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटीची कास धरली, तर त्यातून भारताच्या जागतिक वातावरणबदलाबाबतच्या मोहिमेला हातभार तर लागेलच, पण दिल्लीत दर हिवाळ्यात सोसाव्या लागणाऱ्या धुक्याच्या समस्येवरही मात करण्याच्या प्रयत्नांनाही मदत होईल. पुण्यामध्ये आज आपण कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटीची कास धरली तर उद्या दिल्लीतल्या परिस्थितीसारखीच समस्या निर्माण होण्यापासून आपण बचावू शकू.  

Priyadarshini Karve

Samuchit Enviro Tech, Pune

प्रियदर्शिनी कर्वे

समुचित एन्व्हायरो टेक, पुणे

#BeModernBeResponsibleBeRespectful




 Samuchit Enviro Tech         samuchit@samuchit.com         www.samuchit.com

MUSINGS FROM PRIYADARSHINI KARVE: Quest for Carbon Negativity Part 1 शोध कार्बन निगेटिव्हिटीचा भाग १

Samuchit Trashflasher Kiln
समुचित ट्र्रॅशफ्लॅशर भट्टी

Samuchit Sampada Stove (Mini Trashflasher)
समुचित संपदा शेगडी (मिनी ट्रॅशफ्लॅशर)

As the topic of this blog is of local and global importance, I am writing in both English and Marathi.

या ब्लॉगचा विषय स्थानिक आणि जागतिक महत्वाचा असल्यामुळे इंग्रजी आणि मराठी अशा दोन्ही भाषांमध्ये लिहिते आहे.

If you have a garden, you are aware that throughout the year a lot of garden waste is being generated. If you have big trees, they shed a lot of leaves especially during winter. These leaves, and other wastes like twigs, etc. too, if left as they are, will eventually decompose and will improve soil quality. In many cases to clean the garden, the waste is swept to one side and burnt off. Environmentally conscious individuals would compost rather than burn.

तुमच्या इमारतीभोवती बाग असेल, तर बागेत वर्षभर जैव कचरा निर्माण होत रहातो, हे तुम्ही पाहिले असेल. मोठे वृक्ष असतील तर विशेषतः हिवाळ्यात मोठ्या प्रमाणावर पानगळ होत असते. ही पाने आणि इतरही काटक्या कुटक्या वगैरे जमिनीवर तशाच राहू दिल्या तर कालांतराने त्या कुजतात, आणि मातीची सुपीकता वाढवण्याला हातभार लावतात. पण बऱ्याच ठिकाणी बाग स्वच्छ करण्यासाठी सगळा कचरा झाडून एका बाजूला केला जातो आणि जाळून टाकला जातो. पर्यावरणाबाबत जागरूक असलेल्या व्यक्ती जाळून टाकण्याऐवजी त्याचे कंपोस्ट करतात. 

Burning in open air is obviously the worst of the three options, as it leads to a lot of local pollution. Composting is time consuming and also needs space and daily attention. Letting the biomass waste generated by plants lie on the soil around their roots is the best and most natural option. However, this makes your garden look unkempt, and also there is danger of snakes and other harmful animals taking shelter in the layer of dry leaves and twigs. There is also the risk of fire if someone drops a burning cigarette butt, etc., on the leaf litter.

उघड्यावर कचरा जाळणे हा अर्थातच तिन्हीपैकी सर्वात वाईट पर्याय आहे, कारण त्यातून मोठ्या प्रमाणावर स्थानिक प्रदूषण होते. कंपोस्ट करणे वेळखाऊ आहे, त्यासाठी जागा लागते, आणि रोज लक्ष द्यावे लागते. वनस्पतींनी निर्माण केलेला जैव कचरा तसाच त्यांच्या मुळांशी मातीत पडू देणे हा सर्वात चांगला व नैसर्गिक पर्याय आहे. मात्र यामुळे आपली बाग नीटनेटकी दिसत नाही. शिवाय साप किंवा इतर उपद्रवी जीव या पालापाचोळ्याच्या आणि काडीकचऱ्याच्या थरात आश्रय घेण्याचा धोका असतो. जर कोणी सिगरेटचे थोटूक या कचऱ्यात टाकले, तर आग लागण्याचाही धोका असतो.

From climate change perspective, all three options have the SAME effect - the carbon removed from the atmosphere by the plants through photosynthesis, is returned to the atmosphere, either through natural decay, or burning, or composting.

क्लायमेट चेंजच्या दृष्टिकोनातून विचार केला, तर वरील तिन्ही पर्यायांचा परिणाम एकच होतो – वनस्पतींनी प्रकाशसंश्लेषणाद्वारे हवेतून काढून घेतलेला कार्बन नैसर्गिक रित्या कुजण्यातून, किंवा ज्वलनातून किंवा कंपोस्टिंगच्या क्रियेतून पुन्हा हवेत परत जातो.

There is a FOURTH option of charring the garden waste. This will allow you to capture 30% of the carbon in the waste in the form of char - solid carbon that will remain as it is for thousands of years, if left untouched. In other words, 30% of the carbon is permanently removed from the return path of the biological carbon cycle loop. You have made your garden Carbon Negative!

एक चौथा पर्यायही आहे – बागेतल्या कचऱ्याचा कोळसा करणे. यामध्ये कचऱ्यात असलेल्या एकूण कार्बनपैकी ३० टक्के कार्बन कोळसा या स्वरूपात हवेत न जाता मागे रहातो. जर तुम्ही या कार्बनला अजिबात हातही लावला नाही, तर तो हजारो वर्षे याच स्वरूपात रहाणार आहे. थोडक्यात म्हणजे तुमच्या बागेत चालू असलेल्या जैविक कर्बचक्रातला ३० टक्के कार्बन तुम्ही चक्राच्या परतीच्या मार्गातून कायमस्वरूपी बाहेर काढला. तुमची बाग तुम्ही कार्बन निगेटिव्ह केली!

Samuchit Trashflasher Kiln:

समुचित ट्रॅशफ्लॅशर भट्टी:

The size of garden space and therefore the amount of garden waste generated on the campus of a housing society or educational or research campus, or factory or business premises, etc. is rather high. This kiln is designed for such users. It disposes off about 3-4 kg of garden waste in 15-20 min and generates about 1-2 kg of char.
Price inclusive of taxes: INR 5000, includes on site demonstration and training anywhere in Pune

गृहनिर्माण संस्था, शैक्षणिक किंवा संशोधन संकुल, कारखाने व इतर व्यावसायिक परिसर अशा ठिकाणी बागेची व्याप्ती आणि त्यामुळे रोज निर्माण होणाऱ्या जैविक कचऱ्याचे प्रमाणही जास्त असते. ही भट्टी अशा ठिकाणी वापरण्यासाठी बनवलेली आहे. दर १५-२० मिनिटांत ३-५ किलो कचऱ्याची विल्हेवाट लावून साधारण १-२ किलो कोळसा निर्माण करण्याची या भट्टीची क्षमता आहे.
करासहित किंमत रू ५०००. पुण्यात ग्राहकाच्या ठिकाणी प्रात्यक्षिक व प्रशिक्षण अंतर्भूत.

Samuchit Sampada Stove (mini trashflasher):

समुचित संपदा शेगडी (मिनी ट्रॅशफ्लॅशर):

This very handy ‘mini trashflasher’, is best suited for dealing with small quantities of garden waste generated in private gardens. If you are generating waste in the form of twigs and small branches, it can also be used as a stove for heating bath water.
Price inclusive of taxes: INR 3500, includes demonstration and training at our office

व्यक्तिगत छोट्या बागेत निर्माण होणाऱ्या कमी कचऱ्यासाठी ही एक वापरायला अतिशय सोपी अशी मिनी ट्रॅशफ्लॅशर भट्टीच आहे. काटक्याकुटक्यांच्या स्वरूपातला कचरा असेल, तर अंघोळीचे पाणी तापवण्याची शेगडी म्हणूनही तिचा वापर होऊ शकतो.
करासह किंमत रू ३५००. आमच्या कार्यालयात प्रात्यक्षिक व प्रशिक्षण अंतर्भूत.

I want to share much more with you... Part 2 coming soon!

आणखीही पुष्कळ सांगायचे आहे... दुसरा भाग लवकरच येतो आहे!

Priyadarshini Karve

Samuchit Enviro Tech, Pune

प्रियदर्शिनी कर्वे

समुचित एन्व्हायरो टेक, पुणे

#BeModernBeResponsibleBeRespectful




Samuchit Enviro Tech         samuchit@samuchit.com         www.samuchit.com

MUSINGS FROM PRIYADARSHINI KARVE: Dealing with organic waste

One of the services we offer at Samuchit Enviro Tech is to provide solutions to deal with organic waste at household level. People are often surprised that we do not offer composting in our range of solutions. The two solutions that we offer are: Garden waste to charcoal and Kitchen waste to biogas (http://www.samuchit.com/waste-disposal-technologies). Both the solutions are focused on converting organic waste into energy, although charcoal can be used in a variety of other ways too. We are now working on adding another solution to this - using kitchen waste as non-composted green manure for the kitchen/terrace garden. 

Why have we taken a path different from what most people recommend for in house organic waste management? That is because we do not think of the organic matter as waste - something to be 'dealt' with in whatever way that is most economical, and be grateful for what little benefit it delivers as a bonus. We think of the organic matter as a resource, and have focused on getting the maximum benefit out of it for the user. Organic 'waste' is a typical urban problem - in rural areas, the organic 'waste' of humans becomes the resource for other animals and creatures, who live in close proximity of the humans. So, if it is urban families that are generating the organic 'waste', the output of the 'waste management' process should be something that is useful to them directly. We believe that energy is a more universal need for urban families than fertilizer. The evidence can be seen from the fact that there are many housing complexes that are composting but struggling to sell the extra compost after utilising whatever they need for their own gardens. 

However, both biogas generation and charcoal making are processes that require investment - either of money, or time, or both. What if one is not willing to do so?

Even in that case, it makes more sense to put the organic matter in a non-composted form in potted plants in one's own balcony, than to go for composting. When organic material is composted, nearly all the carbon in it goes off in the atmosphere uselessly. What is left behind is the little bit of minerals from the organic matter and lignin which is nothing but nature's plastic - a mostly non-biodegradable material. Therefore the mass of the organic matter is greatly reduced, and the concentration of minerals slightly enhanced, but it is at the cost of the carbon that soil bacteria would have relished, and thrived on! As a result, the compost only helps replace chemical fertilizer. Its contribution to improving the inherent soil fertility is low and slow. On the other hand non-composted biomass directly mixed into the soil, will provide the necessary nutrition to the bacteria, improving the soil fertility and thus giving a much greater impact in terms of vigour of plant growth per gram of material put in the soil. 

This approach has already been proven in agriculture. Many farmers are taking away organic waste (NOT compost) from garbage dumps to directly put in the farms. Our own experiments in the past have shown us good results. We are currently experimenting on this approach for an urban terrace garden. Have you tried something on these lines? Please do share your experiences! 

Priyadarshini Karve

Director

Samuchit Enviro Tech

#BeModernBeResponsibleBeRespectful

    Samuchit Enviro Tech.     samuchit@samuchit.com     www.samuchit.com

Samuchit's answer to waste management at household level

Waste disposal is becoming a menace day by day at civic level. Each day the newspapers carry some new hard-hitting news about this issue.

Here is Samuchit's answer to home waste disposal concerns. Use it as a renewable charcoal production unit or as a household waste incinerator.

What all kinds of waste can be disposed in a friendly manner in this machine? 

Garden waste, agricultural waste, household kitchen waste, forestry waste, etc.

Click on this link to know more

    Samuchit Enviro Tech.     samuchit@samuchit.com     www.samuchit.com

SUSTAINable Life : Gleams of Glory...

Gleams of Glory

So when all newspapers suddenly wake up to start projecting household garbage disposal concerns, most of us get goosebumps at the bilious full-page photographs of landfills and garbage dumps. The information that accompanies the photographs is no less appalling.

But this dark cloud does have a silver lining. At no much expense, with no compromise on the current lifestyles, if we realize that we have a solution to manage our kitchen, household waste, garden waste, agri or forestry waste at our own end, it is music to our ears.
Add more to it, you also end up producing some clean fuels as a by-product!

If you feel as responsible towards the environment as we do, click here to know more. Alternatively, call us, walk into our office, or express your interest by simply replying to this post, and we would get back to you!


Lets pledge to create a clean future for our children!



#BeModernBeResponsibleBeRespectful

Samuchit Enviro Tech.     samuchit@samuchit.com    www.samuchit.com