Sustainable Waste Management

At IGCS, the focus area of Sustainable Waste Management emphasizes the development of management strategies and technological processes through transdisciplinary research. This approach incorporates the principles of the circular economy, reuse, recycling, energy recovery, and climate change, targeting both organic and inorganic waste relevant to Indian cities and the global context. Key research areas include the potential of organic waste, waste separation, composting, biogas production, and thermochemical processes, along with assessing the impacts of plastic waste in coastal urban areas and strategies for its reduction, reuse, and recycling.

IGCS’s current waste management research in Chennai, India, focuses on reducing, reusing, and recycling plastics to support a circular economy and environmental protection. Using thermochemical technologies and pilot-scale reactors at IIT Madras, researchers evaluate plastic waste for conversion into valuable resources. Collaboration with IIT’s Humanities and Social Sciences department addresses sustainable waste management in peri-urban areas, aiming to develop local strategies. Efforts in bioeconomy are fostering German-Indian cooperation, with adaptations to India’s socio-economic diversity underway. Training programs emphasize integrated waste management and climate resilience, offering seminars, lectures, and seasonal schools to foster sustainable waste management innovation. Research on waste and coastal infrastructure is also part of a DST project at IIT Madras.

Research projects are one of IGCS’ supporting pillars and are reflected by numerous workshops, meetings, and project proposals. Cooperation in research projects goes beyond the IGCS partner universities and we regularly work together with various German and Indian institutions.