Executive Summary : | Objective: To translate the technology to start-up companies and provide them the facility to produce the product and market the same; To translate the technology to organizations that are manufacturing organic manure and compost; To translate the technology to tannery associations and provide technical support in establishment of unit and market the product; To explore the possibility of securing peptides and amino acids to high value Summary: About 40,000 tons of hair waste is generated from Indian leather industry. Hair waste primarily contains hair, which I made of the protein, keratin. A novel strain of Brevibacterium luteolum MTCC 5982 had been identified for degradation of the hair. The identified strain could degrade the hair in 90 h effectively. The degradation of hair in simple medium followed by preparation of compost with the whole fermentation liquor, leaves, soil and sawdust makes the process unique. The process was developed under one of the XII plan projects of 'Zero Emission Research Initiative for Solid Waste' (ZERIS-CSC 0103). The keratin hydolysate has also been prepared using suitable chemical method for preparation of organic supplement. Two products namely organic supplement and compos had been prepared from the hair waste. Both the products had been evalusted at lab scale and field level. For paddy, the yeild increased by 40%. The field level application studies and demonstrations had been carried out having partnered with an NGO, M/s National Agro Foundation (NAF). Also, the demonstration of the application is presently done with the sponsorship from M/s Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd., (CPCL), Chennai, under their swachh bharat activities from corporate social resposibility (CSR) funding.
It is proposed to translate the technology on manufacturing organic supplement and compost from hair waste under the FTT project. A pilot plant has been establihed under the CSIR FCP (MLP 1701) for validation and demonstration of the process to potential licensees, and for providing the facility to potential clients for producing the product. It is planned to utilize the facility for the efforts to translation of the knowledgebase. It is intended to invite start-up companies to get incubated in CLRI and to produce the product at pilot level and market the same. Another strategy to translate the technology is to identify and discuss with the manufactures of organic supplement, manure and compost for translation of the technology. It is also planned to discuss with the tannery associations to establish plants for manufaturing organic supplement and compost.
It is also proposed to explore the possiblities of preparation of peptides and amino acids of high value. There is a plausibility of obtaining peptides and amino acids of pharmaceutical and industrial importance from keratin, by controlling the process of hydrolysis. The factors influencing the hydrolysis of keratin by enzymatic and chemical methods will be standardized. The work plan also includes the separation of the peptides and amino acids of interest by suitable cost-effective technique. |