Top 9 eco-friendly tech inventions in India for a green future
Climate is changing and to deal with it we need to be more technologically advanced. These initiatives have taken a step ahead and contributed for the better future if this planet.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Changing climatic conditions are impacting humans, wildlife, vegetation, and basically the entire ecosystem. This is mainly because our lifestyle is now designed to be overly dependent on resources. This can be better explained by an economic principle known as ‘Tragedy of commons’, which means that when individuals have access to resources without any restriction, they act selfishly and make judgements without even considering their fatal impact on others.
But we have reached the point where, even if we attempt to deliver better, we in a way leave impact on the environment. So these innovations might have been set up to change the future of the planet, but none can guarantee that they are 100% eco-friendly. Further improvements can prove them to be the best for the planet, but at present they are proven to serve the best interests in dealing with climate change.
Eco-friendly tech inventions
1. ERVIS: Ocean cleaning ship
In order to clean up the world’s filthy oceans, 12-year-old Haaziq Kazi of Pune created a future ‘ocean cleaning ship’ in 2018. The ERVIS is a ship that essentially sucks up plastic garbage from bodies of water. Aside from that, the ship is designed to assess and separate garbage based on size before pumping the filtered water back into the oceans without damaging marine life. The ERVIS is noted for its innovative design, which has attached saucers that clean the garbage floating on the ocean’s surface. It also prevents trash from being disposed of by water boats at the ocean’s surface. Haaziq, 14, is working on the logistics of waste collected by the ship.
2. Roads and bricks made from plastic waste
There are several initiatives in India that use waste to make bricks, tiles, and even roads. The composition might vary from one another, but the projects are successfully executed. Plastiqube is one initiative led by Abhishek Banerjee that makes bricks out of plastic waste and sells them at a cheaper rate as compared to traditional clay bricks. Another initiative named Rhino Machinery manufactures bricks and paver blocks. The product’s composition is a mixture of plastic and foundry dust.
Also, Professor Rajagopalan Vasudevan of Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai developed the technology to build roads from plastic waste. He used plastic and heated bituminous to meet the end product, and this did not release toxic gases during production and also reduced the issue of potholes and other deformities.
3. Biodegradable bags
Biobags were a long-needed product to deal with the simple question, “If not plastic bags, then what?”. Yes, paper bags have drawbacks, but biodegradable bags can help alleviate multiple issues at once.
Biodegradable plastic bags, as opposed to regular plastic bags, are made from natural components and may be broken down by microorganisms under controlled conditions.
When I started looking for alternatives to plastic bags, I could only find 1 or 2 companies selling them. But today, there are various initiatives for biodegradable bags. You can shop for them easily on Amazon.
4. Edible cutlery and plates
Disposable cutlery has proven to be the biggest threat to the environment. They are usually used in parties and gatherings and are dumped without even being recycled. Being non-biodegradable, they create a big problem for the environment. But one idea out there makes this edible, making it a zero-waste product. Telangana-based entrepreneur Narayana Peesapaty launched Bakey’s, which offers people edible cutlery.
If you ever feel that the product’s flavour is getting mixed up with the food, then you can look for these eco-friendly cutlery options as well. These are not edible, but they are ecofriendly and biodegradable.
5. Solar water wall
Two IIT Kharagpur students innovated a technology that could serve as a viable replacement for air conditioners. After realising that air conditioners use a significant amount of energy and release approximately 1.5 tonnes of CO2 each year, the two students designed a way to replace the appliance. The Department of Geology and Geophysics’ Sahashranshu Maurya and Somrup Chakraborty developed a passive solar water wall cooling system that revolves around a rectangular water tank inserted into a wall. The technology is constructed in such a way that the absorbed heat is constantly evacuated from the system by the water, resulting in no CFC or carbon emissions, a 50% reduction in electricity consumption, and a 50% reduction in cooling costs.
6. Saline water lamp
Union minister Jitendra Singh launched the saline water lamp in August 2022. The saline water lanterns are saline water-powered lamps that are supposed to bring “ease of living” to the poor and needy, notably the fishing population living along India’s 7,500-kilometre-long coastal line, which is home to 9 coastal states and approximately 1,400 islands.
The goal of this action is to help fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, livelihoods, and blue commerce. The technology has yet to be translated to industry for mass production as a source of renewable energy, but it can also be of great assistance in rural and distant locations, as well as during calamities.
7. Eco-friendly menstrual products
According to the National Family Health Survey 2015–2016, over 336 million women in India experience menstruation, but only 36% of women use menstrual pads. Though this percentage raises concerns about women’s menstrual hygiene, even this little percent contributes to the annual dumping of 12.3 billion sanitary napkins in landfills.
But thanks to initiatives that worked to bring technologies to fight with menstrual waste. Other brands introduced eco-friendly menstrual products to further prevent non-bio menstrual waste generation. Though earlier menstrual pads in India were made from cotton, brands heavily marketed non-biodegradable pads, and today they have taken their place on the shelves.
These companies are selling eco-friendly menstrual products to cater to your needs as well as those of the environment. From menstrual cups to eco-friendly menstrual pads, you have all options for eco-friendly menstruation.
8. Rainwater harvester
We would never run out of water if we collect the abundant water that falls during the monsoon. At the same time, if the rainwater collector can also capture solar power, it will answer two of our most important needs: power and water! Priya and Samit Choksi created Ulta Chatta, an indigenous proprietary technique. Ulta Chatta is developed to intelligently capture rainwater and generate sustainable energy.
Rainwater first falls on the top of each collector, following which it undergoes the first step of physical filtration via a 2,000 micron mesh. The water is then passed through a mesh of 20 microns in the rod. The water then enters the common ‘Phi Box’ after the initial filtration. UV filters and activated carbon filters are used to completely purify the water here. After this stage of filtering, potable water is produced and kept in a tank. This water is perfectly safe to drink! Ulta Chaata works well in a cluster of 10.
9. Solar Power tree
The Solar Power Tree is a tree-like structure with steel branches that holds solar panels. The device is supposed to produce the same amount of electricity as a conventional array, which is enough to light up five dwellings. This device not only generates adequate electricity, but it also captures 10 to 15% more power than ground-mounted solar arrays. The solar power tree also charges a backup battery system, which can theoretically give roughly two hours of light in the late evening on a full charge. The tree also has a self-cleaning mechanism, which incorporates a built-in water spray.
FAQ
What eco-friendly technology dominates in India?
Green energy plays a significant role in India's green technology business. Solar energy is the market leader in India's green energy sector, followed by wind, biomass, and small hydropower power. As a consequence of many programmes encouraging solar parks, solar towns, and solar pumps, as well as the National Solar Mission, India's solar capacity has expanded substantially. The country plans to have 275 GW of green energy capacity by FY 2027.
Is green technology environmentally friendly?
Green technology is a complete package of eco-friendly tech including energy efficiency, sustainability, recycling, renewable resources, and numerous additional considerations.
What are three challenges of green technology?
Though being extremely useful, green tech still comes with certain challenges-
- Installation or setup cost is high
- Lot of awareness needs to be created to allow people to adopt a specific tech
- Lack of availability of skilled labors
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