SDC Foundation helped organise an awareness session on the 'Environmental Hazards of Polymers' under the Jigyasa 2.0 Program in association with CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun.
The program saw the participation of over 150 students from Class 9th to 12th of different government schools (Mahaveer Jain Kanya Paathshala, GIC, Shri Guru Ram Rai Public School, Sanatan Dharm Kanya Inter College, Mangla Devi Inter College, Sophia High School, Government Girls Inter College, Shri Gurunanak Doon Vale School, Ambawati Doon Valley Inter College, Bhawani Ballika Inter College and Mount Fort Academy). The main objective of the program was to make the students aware about plastic waste and how we can reuse or recycle it to minimize its environment impact and to keep our city clean.
Dr. Harender Bisht, Director, CSIR-IIP, briefed students about the different types of plastics and emphasized to need to check the plastic type before use, as some plastics are recyclable and reusing them will lead to a waste free environment. He also informed students about the CSIR-IIP technology that converts plastic waste to biofuel such as gasoline, diesel and petrol.
Dr. Aarti, Principal Scientist CSIR-IIP, briefed students about the Jigyasa program, and highlighted the advanced research work and technologies developed at CSIR-IIP. She also urged students to wisely use plastics for a more clean and green environment.
SDC Founder Anoop Nautiyal informed students about the tons of plastic waste generated in Dehradun city, and that its collection and recyclability will help in making the city cleaner. Dr. Umesh Kumar, Principal Scientist, CSIR-IIP talked about different types of polymers and how these polymers make different types of plastics.
Students also visited the pilot plant that converts plastic waste to biofuel with a detailed explanation of the process. They were also shown the process of converting used cooking oil to biodiesel at room temperature, at the Advanced Crude Oil Research Centre.
