Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship

Q Why is it in News? 

A The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India under its “Waste to Wealth” Mission launched the “Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship”.

Q What is Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship and what are its objectives? 

• Objectives: To recognize students, community workers/self-help groups, and municipal/sanitary workers who are engaged in tackling the enormous challenge of waste management, scientifically and sustainably.
• Three Categories of Awards under the Fellowships:
• Category-A: Open to School students from 9th to 12th standards engaged in waste management community work.
• Category-B: Open to College students (UG, PG, Research students) engaged in waste management community work.
• Category-C: Open to Citizens working in the community and through SHGs, municipal or sanitary workers working beyond specifications of their job requirements/descriptions.

Q What is Waste to Wealth Misssion?  

• Waste to Wealth Mission:
• This mission will identify, develop, and deploy technologies to treat waste to generate energy, recycle materials, and extract worth.
• The Waste to Wealth Mission is one of the nine national missions of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).
• The mission will assist and augment the Swachh Bharat and Smart Cities projects to create circular economic models that are financially viable for waste management to streamline waste handling in the country.

Q What is this E-waste to Wealth Technology  and how it works? 

E-waste to Wealth: New Technology (IIT Delhi)

• Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi has developed a zero-emission technology to manage and recycle e-waste to wealth.
• The new methodology uses e-waste as an “Urban Mine” for metal recovery and energy production.
  • The e-waste is shredded and pyrolyzed to yield liquid and gaseous fuels, leaving behind a metal-rich solid fraction.
  • On further separation, the leftover solid residue yields a 90-95% pure metal mixture and some carbonaceous materials.
  • The carbonaceous material is further converted to aerogel for oil spillage cleaning, dye removal, carbon dioxide capture, and use in supercapacitors.
• This technology will cater to the needs of “Smart Cities,” “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” initiatives.