The Silicon Review ^Asia

Plaster of Paris (PoP) waste can be hazardous for the environment and the people while collecting, separating and disposingit. Most of the PoP waste is collected from hospitals and other medical centers.

To tackle the problem, a new non- toxic technique is being developed by a team of scientists where PoP waste can be recycled in a simple and eco-friendly manner at a low cost.

Developed by the members of Jalna campus of Mumbai-based Institute of Chemical Technology, and Pune-based Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), the new technique is a green alternative and it will replace the currently used method of incineration. It disinfects PoP wastes and afterward converts it into various useful products such as calcium bicarbonate and ammonium sulfate.

To develop the solution, the scientists first treated a solution made up of ammonium bicarbonate (ABC) with a concentration of 20%. After that, they came up with the final solution. Results showed that the solution had the potential to disintegrate PoP wastes into high value and non-toxic wastes like calcium bicarbonate and ammonium sulfate (in the sludge form) within a day to 36 hours. The technique is also very effective in disintegrating PoP-based idols.

The research work was carried out by Dr.S Shinde from ICT and Dr. M. S. Dharne, G. R. Navale, Dr. S. Umbarkar, K. N. Gohil, and K. R. Puppala from CSIR-NCL.