Sustainability Outlook Headlines

US develops biodegradable semiconductor to reduce e-waste

US researchers have developed a flexible, organic and biodegradable semiconductor that can help to cut the mounting pile of global electronic waste, a research published said.

Stanford engineer Zhenan Bao and her team created the flexible electronic device that could easily degrade just by adding a weak acid — vinegar, said the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ paper.

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Waste segregation from June 5 in Hyderabad

As part of World Environment Day, the Municipal Administration Department of the Government of India has decided to implement dry and wet segregation of garbage waste from households in all the urban local bodies in the country on June 5.

The programme will also be conducted under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

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Students develop solar power-cum-electric car at the cost of a motorcycle

Driven by the zeal for innovation, a group of mechanical engineering students of G. Pullaiah College of Engineering and Technology has developed a six-seater solar power-cum-electric car at the cost of a motorcycle.

Third-year students J. Nirmal, D. Ashish, Hussain Basha, C. Anil and Sainath Goud and second-year students Ranjith and Yogesh, under the guidance of Head of Mechanical Engineering Department K.... Read more..

Supreme Court orders CPCB to fix emission norms for industries in the National Capital Region

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Centre Pollution for Control Board (CPCB) to fix by June 30 emission standards for industries in the National Capital Region using pet coke and furnace oil that release Sulphur dioxide (SOx) and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx).

A bench headed by Justice MB Lokur issued the order after being told that there were no standards prescribed for the industries on this count. Senior... Read more..

SAIL’s Bhilai steel plant to be the first to use plasma technology for toxic waste disposal

State-run Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) would be using plasma technology for the disposal of hazardous waste for the conservation of the environment and natural resources.

The company would be the setting up a state of the art Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) management facility in collaboration with the United Nations Development Organisation (Unido) and the Ministry of Environment & Forests... Read more..

Emission standards soon for Railways

 Indian Railways will soon come under emission standards, with the Engine Development Directorate of the Research Designs and Standards Organisation drawing up the draft norms for diesel locos.

The report has been made public by the Central Pollution Control Board.

Standards & protocols... Read more..

India admits it will miss coal emissions targets

India’s ageing power stations will miss a government deadline to slash their emissions, the country’s power minister has admitted, as he reiterated the country’s longstanding position that the responsibility for tackling global pollution rests squarely with the west.

Stricter standards from the country’s environment ministry, introduced two years ago, gave the country’s mostly state-owned thermal power... Read more..

Delhi government suspends plan to install air purifiers in schools

Two days after the Delhi government directed the city schools to install air purifiers for combating air pollution, it has decided to temporarily suspend the plan on Tuesday.

"The directive has been kept in abeyance with immediate effect," reads an advisory issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE) to schools. It, however, did not specify any reason for suspending the directive within a few days of... Read more..

Three-year plan to let Delhi breathe: Niti Aayog

Underlining air pollution as a serious problem, the government's think tank Niti Aayog in its latest action agenda has come out with a five-point remedy, including higher taxes on petrol\diesel, higher parking fees and shutting down coal-based power plants in a phased manner, to deal with the menace within three years.

Though whatever the Aayog suggested has already been in different phases of implementation... Read more..

Nashik Municipal Corporation sets up cell to curb Godavari river pollution

The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has set up a special cell to check the rising pollution levels of river Godavari. NMC commissioner Abhishek Krishna on Saturday had undertaken round on the banks of the river and appealed to the people not to dump waste in it.

The cell will be headed by Rohidas Dorkulkar, a deputy commissioner level official. "We will adopt a two-pronged strategy to curb Godavari river... Read more..

Fine slapped on 4 Uttar Pradesh sugar mills for damaging environment

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh on four sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh for causing damage to the environment, contaminating ground water and releasing effluents leading to the death of animals and birds. The judgement was delivered on April 27, a copy of which was made available on Monday.

The tribunal bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar slapped a fine on the four units of... Read more..

Bengaluru may get 2 waste-to-energy plants in two years

The city may get its first two waste-to-energy plants with a capacity of generating about 80MW of power in two years. The BBMP has floated tenders for the units; companies have come forward to set up one plant in Kannahalli and the other in Mavallipura.

The plants will be commissioned in 18 to 24 months and each will convert 500 tonnes of municipal waste into 40MW of energy. As per experts calculations,... Read more..