The air pollution levels of the country are increasing. And during harvest time, the air pollution levels are quite high because of stubble burning. This air pollution from stubble burning in North India has become one most debated and discussed topics in media.
To solve the stubble burning problem and to reduce fossil fuel usage, Vidyut Mohan has come up with inspiring and unique innovation – Takachar. The team has come with a solution to air pollution. With his company, Takachar, they work on reducing air pollution and they also provide opportunities to farmers to increase the annual income.
Vidyut Mohan’s Story
The 29-year-old is the co-founder and CEO of Takachar, along with Kevin Kung, CTO, co-founder, and president. Vidyut Mohan has always been enthusiastic about energy access and the upliftment of rural areas. The interest was spiked when Vidyut noticed that the full potential of biomass energy was yet to be tapped. This inspired him to work on a unique innovation after his master’s thesis at TU Delft.
He worked with village communities in the Himalayas, where he worked on a unique innovation to convert pine needle waste into charcoal-based products. This product was very well received by the market. He also worked with Simpa networks where he designed pay-as-you-go solar home systems for the rural communities.
For his tremendous work, Vidyut Mohan was named an UNLEASH Energy talent in 2017 at the school for social enterprise, India. He has also been mentioned under the 2020 Forbes under 30 awardees. He is also a 2019 echoing green fellow.
Takachar – Potential Stubble Burning Solution
Takachar is a social enterprise that supports farmers and also prevents them from burning waste farm residue. This reduces pollution by amalgamated open-air biomass burning. And this is a potential stubble burning solution for North India’s air pollution.
Takachar also compensates the farmers for the waste provided, which supports farmers financially. They have helped increase farmer income by up to 40% by converting the crop residue into fuel, fertilizers, and value-added chemicals.
The company sells these products in the market and somehow makes its way back to the farmers. You can say that farmers are reinventing fertilizers for themselves using the technologies provided by the company.
Technology used by Takachar
The most impressive part about this unique innovation is its technology. The concept introduced by them is oxygen-lean Torrefaction. This is a biomass pretreatment technology that is used to turn agricultural waste into carbon-based fertilizers in under an hour without help from any external energy input.
Takachar has developed and patented small-scale, low-cost portable equipment for the same. The system used by Takachar is more profitable and reduces the cost of collecting the loose, wet and bulky biomass material.
Impact made by Takachar
The impact made by Takachar is tremendous. They have successfully replaced fossil-based sources to produce fuels, fertilizers, and chemicals. Their process eliminates over 95% of smoke as compared to the smoke caused by burning biomass.
Takachar is also set on mitigating 700 million tons per year of carbon dioxide emission by the year 2030. Their initiative has also helped increase the net income of rural communities by 40%.
Stories like Vidyut Mohan and Takachar are an inspiration for the entire country. It shows us that there is so much untapped potential in the country. Vidyut has set an example for everyone.
Today Vidyut Mohan is not only the face of technological development in rural areas but also a very fine example that rural areas should not be left behind in the race for advancement.
To know more about Vidyut Mohan, Please check – Facebook, LinkedIn.
To know more about Takachar, Please check – Website, Facebook, Twitter , LinkedIn.
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