Agharkar Research Institute, Sentient Labs develop technology generating hydrogen directly from agri residue

PUNE: The MACS-Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) along with Sentient Labs, a research and development innovation laboratory incubated by KPIT Technologies, has developed the world’s first technology that generates hydrogen directly from agricultural residue for use in fuel cell-powered vehicles.

The hydrogen generation technology uses agricultural residue rich in cellulose and hemicellulose content – in the likes of paddy, wheat, or maize residue. The process uses microbial culture for the direct generation of hydrogen from agricultural residues. It further generates methane, which is utilised for producing additional hydrogen by steam methane reformation. This process can avoid the burning of bio-mass generated in large measure in the Indian countryside and generate organic manure and CO2 that find application in various industries.