The food leftovers of the remnants of 25 hostel messes of BIT-Sindri will not go waste or dumped in the drain anymore - instead these will be used to generate biogas to cater to energy requirements of the hostel.

A group of five B Tech students including three from Information Technology, and one each from Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering have launched a startup, titled Urja Viable Solutions with a vision of generating energy from waste as part of sustainable development initiative.

Though, the concept of the startup was conceived around a year ago, the groundwork including the team constitution and development work for generation of biogas from waste developed in August this year.

Talking to The Telegraph Online on Saturday, Kumar Aryan, a B Tech, IT branch student who founded the firm along with his batchmate Adarsh Tirkey, said, “Though, Biogas plant is the first project of our company, we will gradually move towards renewable energy production as a second step with the ultimate objective of ensuring zero waste and Eco Friendly BIT.”

And he added that the bio gas plant of the capacity of utilising 100 kg food waste per day will be set up at the institute campus by January next year as plant is being developed at Bangalore at present.

Divulging further, Aryan said, “We will be installing two large dustbins in the all the hostels including one of green color for collecting food leftovers and other biodegradable waste while the blue dustbin will be used for collected dry waste.”

Adarsh Tirkey, another B Tech Information Technology student who is also the cofounder of Urja Viable Solutions, while elaborating on the project said, “The institute staff will be helping us in the collection of food staff which will be later transported to the biogas plant situated in the institute campus itself through the card after the final segregation of the food waste will be dumped in the biogas plant for processing.”

Prakash Kumar, Head of the Department of production engineering who is also in charge of the incubation cell of the institute said, “The startup which has already been incubated is being sponsored by BIT Sindri Alumni Association and a fund worth Rs 9 lakh has already been approved for the project by the association as the first installment."