LPU researchers get patent for process of desalinating sea water using waste food

Punjab Science & Technology

A team of researchers from Punjab-based Lovely Professional University (LPU) have bagged a patent from Indian Patent Office for a novel and eco-friendly process to desalinate sea water using waste food.
The varsity, in a statement said, is now looking for commercialisation of the process and once used by an industry player at large scale, it would cost just Rs 2 to desalinate one litre of seawater.
The existing methods of desalination generate enormous amounts of harmful chemical waste, whereas this new process invented by LPU researchers uses starch from corn, rice or any other food item and generates ‘zero waste’, it said.
The novel process has been successfully lab tested and found to be 75-80 per cent efficient, making the sea water fit for regular household chores like----mopping, washing clothes and dishes, bathing and even irrigation.
The research was conducted by Tanay Pramanik and Runjhun Tandon, professors at the Lovely Professional University, and Mandeep Singh and Stanzin Lzaod, B Sc students of LPU.