IIT Bombay finds way to convert garden waste into cooking fuel for 1,200 students; this is how it works | Today’s news
Have you ever wondered if fallen leaves scattered around your garden can do more than just add beauty? At the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), fallen leaves and garden waste are given a second life as cooking fuel.
According to a report by The Better India, fallen leaves, which were once considered a burden on waste disposal and cost the institute roughly ₹50 million annually for transportation and disposal is now converted into fuel pellets used to prepare meals for around 1,200 students. The initiative reportedly reduced liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumption by 60% in one of the hostel’s kitchens, turning sustainability efforts into innovative solutions.
In a video shared by The Better India, the initiative shows how the waste generated in a large campus can be put to productive use. The report added that IIT Bombay produces roughly two tonnes of garden waste every day.
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How IIT Bombay turns garden waste and leaves into fuel
The procedure is quite simple. It starts with collecting garden waste such as fallen leaves, twigs and other organic matter. This material is then processed and compressed into biomass pellets that can be used as an alternative fuel instead of being thrown away as normal campus waste.
IIT Bombay’s Green Energy and Sustainability Research Center (GESH IITB) has documented the technology in its Annual Report 2024-25. According to the report, the institute has a dedicated biomass pellet plant with the capacity to process up to two tons of material in one shift every day.
The report states that the pellets have a calorific value of 16-18 MJ/Nm³, making them a greener alternative to LPG and other fossil fuels. Initially, the institute used pellets to prepare meals in its staff cafeteria.
The cooking process involves more than just burning pellets. An in-house developed gasifier converts biomass into generator gas containing carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane. This gas is then fed to a premix burner where it generates thermal energy to produce steam for cooking.
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A look at the people behind the project
The project titled “Gasification based stone stove for garden waste management” was initiated by Professors Sandeep Kumar and Sanjay Mahajani. According to the institute’s official alumni and institutional information platform, the technology has been in development for several years. Professor Sanjay Mahajani of the Department of Chemical Engineering first explored the idea in 2014 when he looked at biomass gasification as a solution to the campus waste problem.
However, one of the main problems was the behavior of the biomass during combustion. Clinker formation, in which ash and other by-products coalesce into hard deposits, has repeatedly fouled conventional gasification systems. Initial trials also faced operational difficulties, including smoke leaking into the kitchen areas.
The breakthrough came in 2016 when the team developed a patented gasifier that reduced clinker formation by approximately 100 times. In 2017, Sanjay Mahajani was joined by Kumar from the Department of Energy Sciences and Engineering, and the two worked to improve the burner system.
The project received funding from the Tata Center for Technology and Design (TCTD). Before being introduced into the dormitory kitchen, the technology went through several stages of development, including evaluation of its ecological properties, fire safety and operational reliability.
The gasifier was installed in the staff canteen and became operational on February 26, 2025. According to the GESH IITB Annual Report, a systematic study conducted in the following months saw a reduction in LPG consumption by 10 kg every day.
