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IIT Ropar develops cheaper, more cost-effective stubble removing machine
The machine can chop off stubble up to a few centimetres from the ground and automatically load it into the trolley without any manpower.
At a time when North-Indian states are facing hazardous pollution, a machine developed by Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, could be the development of the year. The IIT has manufactured a cost-effective stubble-removing machine to solve the problem of stubble burning.
Talking to media persons on Wednesday, director of IIT Ropar professor Sarit Kumar Das said that keeping in view the pollution created by burning stubble, the institute has developed a low-cost solution to address the national capital’s air pollution woes and combat its disastrous effects on public health. “Their novel solution is a cost-effective stubble-removing machine, cheaper than other machines available in the market,” he said.
The machine costs around ₹3 lakh and IIT-Ropar is ready to share the technology with private industries for large-scale manufacturing, provided the government asks it to do so, he said.
Sharing details, principal investigator of the project, Dr Prabir Sarkar, said the machine removes stubble instantly and can be used immediately after harvesting with a combine. “To be mounted on a tractor trolley, the machine can chop off stubble up to a few centimeters from the ground and automatically load it into the trolley without any manpower. This saves labour cost and cuts down diesel expenses, which are the two main concerns of state farmers,” he added.
He said IIT-Ropar has also developed an active self-sustaining stubble management system where each district can have a few of these machines in co-operative societies. The machine is integrated with an android app and interactive voice response system (IVR). The app will automatically route and schedule the machine; it can be ordered to perform simply by a phone call or through the app. To do so, farmers must give details of their field size and location, and the app will give them a day and time they can avail it on.
The machine can be sent to several places to remove stubble as per the request of farmers. Thereafter, the stubble collected can be used to make fertiliser, or burned in a boiler to generate electricity or even to create acoustic/ply boards.
The professor claimed the stubble-removing machine developed by IIT-Ropar is far better and more cost-effective than the machines currently available in the market.
The team that developed the machine comprises Dr Prabir Sarkar (principal investigator), Prof. Harpreet Singh (principal investigator), Fateh Singh (project assistant), Harmanpreet Singh (project staff), Moh Sahil (B.Tech student), Jaswinder Singh (lab assistant), Randhir Singh (lab assistant), Girdhari Lal Sharma (lab assistant), KV Raju (lab assistant), Jaskaran singh (lab assistant). The app was developed by two B.Tech students, Ankit and Praful.
