IICT working on renewable energy projects

Indian Institute of Chemical Technology is working on renewable energy sources like bioelectricity, bio fuels and solar cells. It has already built a 10-litre per hour capacity plant that can use any feedstock for biodiesel extractions, according to Ahmed Kamal, incharge director of IICT.

Addressing a press conference here on the sidelines of a three-day international conference on recent trends in renewable energy, he said the biodiesel process was ready and IICT would partner others for technology transfer for mass production.

Among others, it is also working on a technology for value addition for pongamia, a major biodiesel plant. He said the oil cake could be used as biopesticide, as a mosquito repellent and also for making detergents. Glycerol is the major byproduct in biodiesel production.

IICT together with the International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics is working on bioethanol from sorghum. The cereal is used for consumption while the rest of the plant is used for bioethanol. IICT is dealing with fermentation part of bioethanol. Among others, the institute is working on organic solar cells and would rope in an industrial partner to take the project further, he said.

The three-day conference is being organised together Indo-German Nachkonttakt Association. It will deliberate on implementation of biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind power and others.