IIT Bombay converts garden waste into cooking fuel pellets
The initiative reportedly reduces LPG consumption in one hostel kitchen by 60 per cent and helps feed 1,200 students.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay is converting fallen leaves and garden waste into biomass fuel pellets to use for cooking. According to a Times of India report, the institute previously spent nearly Rs 50 lakh every year to transport and dispose of this waste.
The Research Hub for Green Energy and Sustainability (GESH IITB) documented the technology in its 2024-25 annual report. The institute operates a biomass pelletisation plant capable of processing up to two tonnes of material per shift per day.
An in-house gasifier converts the biomass into producer gas, which is then supplied to a burner to create thermal energy for cooking. The gasifier was installed at the staff canteen and started operating on February 26, 2025. A study during the following month showed that daily LPG use dropped by 10 kg.
The project, named 'Gasifier-based cook-stoves to manage garden waste', was initiated by professors Sandeep Kumar and Sanjay Mahajani. It received funding from the Tata Centre for Technology and Design (TCTD).
The technology has been licensed to Infixen Energy Pvt. Ltd., an IIT Bombay-funded startup. The pellets are currently being used in the Hostel 16 kitchen to prepare meals for more than 1,200 students, which has reportedly cut LPG use in that kitchen by 60 per cent.