ECO SPECIAL....... From waste to cooking gas

ECO SPECIAL From waste to cooking gas

Dhanishta Shah speaks to Kabir Udeshi, the inventor of the Dedko ‘waste digester’ to understand how his machine converts kitchen waste to cooking gas and fertilizer

Little did Kabir Udeshi know that a casual walk around Shivaji Park would become a turning point in his life. Affected by the stench coming from an open dump, he started questioning the manner in which waste is disposed. The result was the ‘dedko’, says the proud inventor. “I failed multiple times using conventional methods. But after two-three trials, I developed the model. My criterion was that it should be easy enough for my mother to use. Now, I am in the process of improving the digester,” he says. Udeshi is a mechanical engineer with a PhD from the University of Michigan, US. He has worked extensively in India. But even with this rich experience under his belt, he had to go through a series of trial and errors before perfecting the dedko under his company, Flycatcher Technologies. ‘Dedko’ means frog in Gujarati. The way the gas is stored in the machine makes it expand, much like a frog that can expand the size of its throat. The name was given in Vadodara, where Udeshi has his laboratory. Waste is put into dedko’s cylindrical structure once it is ground to a paste. The grinding liquefies the kitchen waste, so it becomes easier to process. A mixer grinder is required to churn waste beforehand. If one can put the mixer on the dedko machine itself, it becomes convenient. It is put into the machine through a pipe and sealed well to avoid flies and rodents. A separate pipe connects the machine to a balloon, where the cooking gas produced by the machine is stored. The balloon is connected to a stove placed in the kitchen. Another by-product of the machine is liquid fertiliser, which comes out from another tube. This can be directly poured into home plants. If there is excessive waste in the machine, it automatically vents gas so there are no leakage issues. Udeshi’s household is almost a no-waste one as dry waste is sold to the local raddiwala. All biodegradable kitchen waste, is put into the dedko. “For two years, we haven’t sent anything to any landfill,” he says, adding that his family does about 30 per cent of cooking on fuel generated by the dedko. Sumeet Ahuja, faculty member at MT Educare, Vadodara, is also a proud user of dedko. “About 95 per cent of my kitchen waste gets processed in it. It has reduced my LPG consumption by 30 per cent. It requires negligible maintenance. And the liquid by-product is an excellent tonic for plants,” he says. A grander and bigger version of the digester, aptly called Rhino, will soon enter the market. The Rhino processes more waste, has an integrated crusher, and can cater to bigger societies, hotels and companies. Of course, it generates more gas. But Udeshi is not one to rest on his laurels. He is working on an in-built crusher in the Dedko. “Dedko also consumes some power. People turn it off and keep adding waste. So we need to add an indicator light. We are also looking to reduce cost and increasing volumes,” he adds. The dedko, which costs Rs25,000, makes economic sense. Besides the usefulness of the gas and fertiliser produced, transportation costs of transferring waste to landfills are also significantly reduced. For an overpopulated city grappling with waste-disposal issues, the dedko digester may well be a game changer. Nothing goes into the dump and everything gets converted into renewable energy and fertilisers.

DNA24APR16