Recycling India's Floral Waste for Sustainability

Date:21 Aug 2018

Country: India

Application

• Extracting essential oils from floral waste for use in perfumes and other products.
• Converting leftover biomass into organic compost to support sustainable farming and feed the poor.

Description

Parimala Shivaprasad, a chemical engineer, aims to recycle floral waste from temples in India by extracting essential oils from flowers and using the remaining biomass as organic compost. The compost can then be used for growing vegetables, particularly for feeding the poor. Her idea combines sustainability with social impact, creating a circular economy for floral waste. This initiative also addresses the pollution caused by disposing of flowers in waterways.

Pathway Description:

The process involves collecting floral waste from temples, extracting essential oils from the flowers using distillation or other methods. The remaining biomass is then composted to produce organic manure. This organic manure is used to grow vegetables, which can help feed the poor. The entire process aims to recycle floral waste sustainably, benefiting both the environment and local communities.