Student invents single use plastic substitute

Chandigarh: Taking forward the spirit and vision of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and joining him in the drive to eliminate single-use plastic, a Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh campus student; Pranav Goyal (B.Tech, 2nd Year) has invented a purely biodegradable and environment-friendly substitute for the purpose.

As per his invention, starch extracted from potato waste is used to make pallets which can be further used to manufacture biodegradable products like straw, spoons, forks, plates, carry bags and water bottles. Chitkara student Pranav Goyal worked along with his mentors - Abha Sharma, CEED & Sumeer Walia, Director - CEED (Centre for Entrepreneurship), Chitkara University.

The invention has been developed under the company SPM Bioplastic, which is incubated at Explore Hub, Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh. Centre for Entrepreneurship Education & Development (CEED) encourages and motivates students to be part of a start-up ecosystem and promotes their ideas. The Incubator has successfully incubated over 100 start-ups and continues to turn dreams into reality. According to Pranav, this invention aims to replace petroleum-based plastic products which are a major contributing factor to pollution.

Explaining the process, Pranav said, "We use starch extracted from potato waste and centrifuge it to form another material which can be used as a raw material in place of plastic products. The product is 100% biodegradable and environment-friendly. We basically make pallets of the starch, feed it into an extruder and then mould it into different shapes of products."

Ecstatic to file his first Patent, Pranav Goyal exclaimed, "I believe as inventors we should be very conscious about designing a product that is true to the form, function and, most importantly, the carbon footprint. This was the driving force behind my research and invention." Pranav has won cash prizes for his invention from Reliance TUP 4.0 and at Start-up Day Contest from CEED.