Research Papers

Empowering Women-led Chitarpur Sewing Cluster with Solar PV in Jharkhand, India

Khanna Palak , Swain Prashanta Kumar , Thakur Amit Kumar
| 2024

The increasing adoption of renewable energy, particularly solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, has emerged as a pivotal solution for addressing energy access challenges in rural areas. This paper presents an impact assessment of a Solar PV installation project in the Chitarpur sewing cluster, Ramgarh, Jharkhand, implemented by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). The project aimed to improve energy access for 150 micro and household-based sewing enterprises, addressing challenges in productivity and reliability of power supply.

Roadblocks to Indian Railways’ ‘Mission 3,000 MT’

Chakraborty Rahul, Prakash Shri
| 2024

The share of Indian Railways in domestic freight transport has been declining over time, from 85% in 1951 to less than 30% in 2022. However, Indian Railways has set loading targets of 3,000 million tonnes by 2027 and 3,600 MT by 2030–31, to achieve 45% of freight share by 2030–31. This article analyses the operational characteristics of Indian Railways and identifi es several issues. Sustained dependence on bulk commodities, mainly coal, iron ore, steel, and cement for revenue generation may signifi cantly impact profi tability in the long run.

Remote sensing-based vegetation indices in agroforestry plantation monitoring

Ghosh Sayanta, Sharma Jitendra Vir
| 2024

Agroforestry offers a vital solution for addressing challenges in India's agricultural sector, which is burdened by fragmented landholdings, environmental degradation, and economic vulnerability. With 86.1% of farmers being small and marginal, integrating agroforestry into agricultural practices presents an opportunity for enhancing livelihoods through additional income streams and contributing to climate resilience.

Plastics in the Indian economy: a comprehensive material flow analysis

Emami Nargessadat , Baynes Timothy M. , Kaushik Trinayana , Singh Mandavi , Bhattacharjya Souvik , Locock Katherine & Schandl Heinz
| 2024

Plastic is valued for its flexibility to be utilized in different applications, yet it poses a significant threat to our environment because of mismanaged plastic waste. India’s compound annual growth of plastic consumption has been around 7% for a decade. Despite this significant growth, there has not been a comprehensive study of Indian plastic flows since 2000. This work presents a 20-year update, detailing plastic production, consumption by all plastic types and sectors, and the overall material flow for 2018–19 to fill the gap in the data on post-consumer plastic flows.

Revolutionizing farming: The role of remote sensing-based vegetation indices in smart and precision agriculture

Ghosh, S., & Sharma, J. V.
| 2024

This article explores the transformative impact of remote sensing-based vegetation indices (VIs) in precision agriculture. By using advanced geospatial technologies, VIs such as NDVI, EVI, GCI, SAVI, and NDWI enable us to monitor crop health, assess water stress, estimate yields, and determine optimal harvest times with unprecedented accuracy. These indices, derived from optical remote sensing and SAR data, provide critical insights for optimizing resource use, enhancing crop productivity, and reducing environmental impact.

Discussion paper on India’s Journey to Net Zero: A Conceptual Framework for Analysis

Mr Ajay Shankar, Dr Sanchit S Agarwal, Ms Taruna Idnani
| 2024

At COP 28 in November 2023, the IPCC warned that with current policies, global warming was set to cross 3°C. At COP 26 held at Glasgow, Prime Minister also announced that India would become net zero by 2070. India's declaration to achieve net zero emissions by 2070 and updated NDCs to achieve fifty percent of its installed generation capacity from non-fossil sources and a 40-45% reduction in the by 2030 marks a momentous step in the global battle against climate change. This announcement signifies India's leadership in forging a low carbon economic development model.

Microwave assisted grafting kinetic of alginate/sericin with acrylic acid‑co‑acrylamide encapsulation of NPK fertilizer and assessment of release characteristics

Priya R Amutha , Roy Pratik , Sailaja R. R. N., Rangi Abhilasha , Sreenivasa T. , Naik Subhas V.
| 2024

In the present study grafted sericin/sodium alginate based encapsulated sustained release NPK fertilizer has been developed. Grafting of sericin/sodium alginate with acrylic acid-co-acrylamide has been performed by using microwave based grafting technique. The ratio of sodium alginate and sericin has been optimized for optimal release of NPK fertilizer, and it was found 0.7:0.3 ratio gives optimum release of encapsulated NPK fertilizer. The developed beads were characterized by studying bead size, encapsulation efficiency, swelling characteristics and cumulative release characteristics.

Silica nanobiocatalyst: Advancements toward sustainable and innovative applications

Jain Priyanshu , Minhas Amritpreet Kaur , Pawan Kaur, Manna Palash Kumar , Puri Munish , Barrow Colin J. , Mandal Shovon
| 2024

Nanobiocatalyst is a useful technological development that brings together modern nanotechnology and biotechnology and offers benefits for enhancing the activity, stability, and performance of enzymes in bioprocessing applications. Nanosupports used in nanocatalysts have a number of advantages over conventional materials, including a robust framework, tunable morphology, increased surface area, excellent pore geometry, inherent properties, and distinctive optical properties for the supporting matrix.

Silk Industry Waste Protein-Derived Sericin Hybrid Nanoflowers for Antibiotics Remediation via Circular Economy

Koshy Divya S. , Allardyce Benjamin J. , Dumée Ludovic F. , Sutti Alessandra , Rajkhowa Rangam , Agrawal Ruchi
| 2024

Hybrid protein−copper nanoflowers have emerged as promising materials with diverse applications in biocatalysis, biosensing, and bioremediation. Sericin, a waste biopolymer from the textile industry, has shown potential for fabricating such nanoflowers. However, the influence of the molecular weight of sericin on nanoflower morphology and peroxidase-like activity remains unexplored. This work focused on the self-assembly of nanoflowers using high- and low-molecular-weight (HMW and LMW) silk sericin combined with copper(II) as an inorganic moiety.

Application of microbial resources in biorefineries: Current trend and future prospects

Gaur Suchitra, Kaur Mehak, Kalra Rishu , Rene Eldon R., Goel Mayurika
| 2024

The recent growing interest in sustainable and alternative sources of energy and bio-based products has driven the paradigm shift to an integrated model termed “biorefinery.” Biorefinery framework implements the concepts of novel eco-technologies and eco-efficient processes for the sustainable production of energy and value-added biomolecules. The utilization of microbial resources for the production of various value-added products has been documented in the literatures.