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Mohandas College of Engineering students find new way to disinfect water
Here’s a solution to counter the lack in quality of packaged water distributed in the city.
Thiruvananthapuram :
Here’s a solution to counter the lack in quality of packaged water distributed in the city. Even as concerns are being raised over the safe consumption of bottled water in the city, a group of students from Mohandas College of Engineering have come up with an innovative solution which helps in getting rid of the E-coli in the water and acting as a disinfectant.
The project titled ‘Design of a water disinfection system using silver and copper nanoparticle impregnated coconut shell waste carbon’ was proposed by a team of students- Shilpa K Nayana, Akhila Krishnan C and Shilpa Raj S from Mohandas College of Engineering and Technology (MCET), Nedumangad. They were guided by their professors, K M Usha, the principal investigator and S S Shijina, the co-investigator of the project.
“ The inspiration behind this project is the sense of responsibility towards society as citizens in general and biotechnologists in particular. After the floods, the presence of E- Coli had become a major concern with many packaged water bottles testing positive to the presence of the bacteria. This is why we thought of developing a project using raw materials which could not only help in purifying water but also act as a disinfectant which can kill 99 per cent of E Coli,” said Shilpa K Nayana, one of the innovators.
Decontamination of drinking water by making use of the raw materials, which are available in abundance, is the prime objective of the project. The project envisages to set up a synergetic system capable of adsorption as well as destructing microbial organisms. This innovative attempt makes use of anti-bacterial property of nanoparticles and absorption. Silver and copper are synthesised and impregnated onto the coconut waste to provide disinfection against E Coli and other organisms. “Unlike the normal water purifiers that only help in purifying water but fail in disinfecting, our innovation has both the purifying and disinfecting facility,” said Shilpa. The students say the procedures are cheap and safer. It also helps in recycling water thereby reducing the demand for fresh water.
The team was also selected for funding by Kerala Technological University (KTU) Center for Engineering Research and Development (CERD) under the scheme ‘CERD Student Project 2018’. The team has also bagged the second position in idea presentation at ‘TheTech Conclave’, which is the flagship event of Drishti, the annual technical festival of College of Engineering, Trivandrum. ‘Engineers for society’ was this year’s theme. This accomplishment has paved the way for direct entry to ‘Idea Day’ by Kerala Startup Mission.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Steni Simon / Express News Service / January 16th, 2019
A woman bids to conquer the Agasthyarkoodam hill for the first time
The first batch of trekkers about to climb the Agasthyarkoodam peak on Monday. The first woman ever to undertake the trek can be seen.
K. Dhanya Sanal, 38, a spokesperson of the Defence Ministry in Thiruvananthapuram, created a record of sorts on Monday when she became the first woman trekker to commence a testing hike up the 1,868-metre Agasthyarkoodam hill, following the recent lifting of a ban that prevented women from trekking beyond Athirumala.
Ms. Dhanya, an avid trekker, said it was her dream to go on the 26-km steep trek up the forest. “I’ve gone on treks across the country, but this remained an unfulfilled wish. When the court lifted the ban, I decided to apply for a pass,” she told mediapersons, adding that she respected the custom of the Kani tribe and did not intend to disturb their practices.
It was after a three-year-long legal battle that the High Court ruled in favour of women’s groups campaigning for gender equality. In its order, the court observed that the rights of the tribes or the traditional forest dwellers cannot work against the fundamental rights of the petitioners and other women to participate in the trek.
Earlier attempt
An attempt made by 51 women and transgenders to scale the peak with the permission of the Forest Department in 2017 proved futile since the Adivasi Mahasabha, an umbrella organisation of tribal groups, moved the High Court and obtained a stay order. In the wake of the recent verdict, 100 women are among the 4,700 people who have registered to undertake the trek during the 47-day season that will culminate on March 1.
The second highest peak in Kerala , Agasthyarkoodam is believed to be the resting abode of sage Agasthya Muni, a celibate, as the legend goes. While the Kani tribe has proclaimed that they will adhere to the court verdict, over 100 people who represent the 27 settlements in the region staged a protest near the forest picket station at Bonacaud, from where the trekkers commenced their journey on Monday. They sang folk songs and offered prayers during the ‘Agasthyarkooda Gothra Achara Samrakshana Yajnam’ to preserve tribal custom.
Tribes’ version
Adivasi Mahasabha State president Mohanan Triveni, also the president of the Agasthyarkoodam Temple Kanikkar Trust, which has been spearheading the cause of the tribespeople in the region, said they would seek a legal recourse. “We have documents to prove that the erstwhile royal family had given possession over the land that has come to be known as the Agasthyamala reserve to the Kani tribe,” he said.
He also lamented that opening up the region to trekkers would harm the ecologically fragile region, a part of the UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Sarath Babu George / Thiruvananthapuram – January 15th, 2019
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Engineering a change in toilet technology
Though advancements have been made in the field of technology, maintenance has always been a plaguing issue and the least addressed.
B P Deepu
Thiruvananthapuram :
Though advancements have been made in the field of technology, maintenance has always been a plaguing issue and the least addressed. This is where the US-based Caltech and Thiruvananthapuram-based Eram Scientifc Solutions, come in. The companies have collaborated with each other to bring out Seva, e-toilets which are able to self-clean and are self-reparable. The aim is to address the issue of water scarcity which is prevalent in many cities.
Clement Cid, the Senior Research Engineer in Environmental Science and Engineering at Caltech won the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Reinvent the Toilet Challenge in 2012. He was in the city as part of the project. According to him, the biggest challenge was to create a cheap, safe and clean toilet for over 2 billion people across the globe.
He brought out a technology that uses electrochemical mechanisms to treat disinfected water. But his collaboration with Eram in 2013 paved the way for a revolution. “We met with Eram in a sanitation conference and with the support of Gates Foundation, we were able to make a prototype and were able to run it for a year. The result was positive,” he said.
Clement believes the new e-toilet system will help in bringing a change in the Indian sanitation system.
“Maintaining toilets is a big issue in cities where sewerage systems are haywire. The self-sufficient toilets will help municipalities and cities which are facing these issues,” he said.
‘Toilet of the future’
The ‘Toilet of the future’ concept was introduced by Gates Foundation and the Caltech group led by Michael Hoffmann. Clement was among the team members. Using sophisticated solar-powered treatment units, the team thought of working on a sensor system that would help in minimising the use of skilled repairs.
The same concept is used in Seva e-toilets. “The toilets will be equipped with sensors which can monitor leaks. Once the issue is detected, an operator is alerted who can easily come and fix it,” he said. Clement also added the idea is to install the toilets in public places. Later this technology can be introduced in household units and e-toilets. Caltech has started trials of its system in different places in Kerala. The trial run of the Seva prototype will be tested in Coimbatore. “Once the trial is completed, it will be installed in several cities where there are no proper sewer lines,” Clement said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Steni Simon / Express News Service / January 12th, 2019
History to chug into Kochi at full steam
The locomotive EIR-21 used to transport troops during the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857.
Country’s oldest working locomotive to ferry tourists via country’s second-largest overbridge
The country’s oldest working steam locomotive, one which was used to transport troops during the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857, is all set to chug into Kochi, to ferry heritage enthusiasts and tourists to Vallarpadam island.
EIR-21, the steam locomotive, dates back to 1855 and in Kochi it will, in all likelihood, traverse the country’s second-longest railway overbridge.
“A movement plan will be finalised within a week. The vintage loco is most likely to operate in the Edappally-Vallarpadam route, providing passengers a scenic view of the Vembanad backwaters. The view will especially be spectacular when the train passes through the 4.62-km bridge,” said Harikrishnan, Ernakulam station director and area manager of Southern Railway.
The bridge and the entire 9-km rail route to Vallarpadam are grossly underutilised and only two container-laden trains use the corridor every month.
The steam loco rake is currently operating in the Madurai Railway Division.
In 10 days
The rake will arrive in Kochi in about 10 days. A proposal to enter into tie-ups with operators of cruise ships that call at Kochi to enable high-end globetrotters to travel on the train is yet to materialise.
Railway sources said that a skilled loco pilot would accompany the locomotive and be based here till the rake left for another railway division in a few months.
The fare for the train is yet to be finalised.
“An alternative route for the heritage train is between the Cochin Harbour terminus, a heritage railway station on Wellington Island, and Ernakulam Junction, through the newly built Venduruthy railway overbridge, which too overlooks the backwaters. Though it will not halt at any station in either route, passengers can relish every moment of the journey,” Mr. Harikrishnan said.
Built by Kitson Thompson and Hewitson Leeds in London, the EIR 21 loco was shipped to India in 1855 for use by the erstwhile East Indian Railway.
EIR 21, along with her sister train Fairy Queen (EIR 22), was used for troop movement in 1857.
Back from museum
After over five decades in service, it was withdrawn from regular service and displayed at railway museums. It was later overhauled and retrofitted with modern gadgets at Perambur Loco Works in Chennai.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by John L. Paul / Kochi – January 07th, 2019