CHANDIGARH: Paddy straw can now be successfully used for production of protein rich food, cellulose and chemicals like lignin and silica.
It is perhaps, for the first time in the world that an “integrated process” has been adopted to use efficiently paddy straw for food, feed and fuel. Forest and crop wastes, including com stalks, are reported to have been used for production of food, feed and fuel.
This has been made possible because of applied microbiology research with Institute Armand Freppier playing the lead role. The process itself has come to be known as the “IAF process” Credit for the outcome of this research goes to an Indian scientist, Dr.Devinder Singh Chahal, who is a professor al IAF, University du Quebec, Canada.
His services were requisitioned by the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAIC) to conduct a pilot study on using paddy straw for the production of protein rich food, cellulose and chemicals. After prolonged negotiations both the PAIC and the Canadian institute agreed to settle on coownership of the developed process on 50:50 basis. After sharing the patent rights, fees and royalty ctc. earned from the sale of the new technology, the PAIC would have exclusive rights after 10 years. Consequently, Dr.Chahalamved in Chandigarh to work for the PAIC using paddy straw as the feedstock for his research, which was done at the Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) here. Dr.Chaha has successfully accomplished the task. He gave a demonstration of his work and exhibited the products produced under the pilot study. Among those who attended his presentation at the IMTECH last month were the Chief Secretary, A.S.Chatha; Secretary, Science and Technology, J.S.Maini, PAIC chairman, Darshan Singh Brar, Managing Director, B.R.Bajaj, and Gokul Patnaik, a former MD of the PAIC, who had, in fact, initiated the project four years ago. At present he is Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the agency which collaborated with the PAIC. Dr.Chahal, who once headed the Department of Microbiology at PAU, Ludhiana, enumerated the uses of paddy straw components, He said cellulose was widely used to make paper, rayon, cellulose derivatives, liquid fuels, solvents, chemicals and in pharmaceuticals. The hemicellulose obtained from paddy straw processing was fermented to obtain protein rich food or what is called ‘mycelia biomass,’ which contained 4045% protein. It was rich in minerals (810%) and vitamins. The carbohydrate contents and other material accounted for20%, fibre 9% and fat 7%.
Dr.Chahal said being low in fat and nucleic acids (3%), this biomass was good for general health and had medicinal value to control coronary heart disease as it lowered blood cholesterol level. Vegetarian meat nuggets could be prepared from this.
Lignin obtained from paddy straw could be used for adhesives and resins and other valuable organic chemicals. It was estimated that about 96,000 tons of PVC resins were imported every year. Paddy straw would come in handy as raw material to provide resins.
Silica produced in the process would be consumed by industries like soap and detergent, electronic components, and pesticides.
Aton of paddy straw would yield about 500600 kg of cellulose, 90100 kg of mycelia biomass, 90100 kg of ligmin and 90 kg silica. As per rough estimates, the total value of different items recovered from this one ton worked out to be around Rs 20,000. There was no dearth of paddy straw, [t was, in fact, a great source of nuisance, however, no useful way of its disposal had been found yet. It was estimated that Punjab produced 10 million tons of paddy straw every year. At present, farmers burned paddy straw in the fields, which not only caused pollution, (fly ash being a health hazard), but also destroyed micro flora of the top soil depriving or reducing the fertility of the soil for the following crop, mostly wheat in Punjab, because paddy wheat rotation covered nearly 20 lakh hectares out of a total wheat area Of 32.32 lakh hectare. Note: Dr.Chahal, who is a frequent contributor to W.S.N. is to be congratulated for his pioneering work in the field of biotechnology.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 30, 1993
