Page 20 - EW-January-2026

Education News

DELHI our faculty has registered over 4,000
Chitkara University's research breakthrough patents. A good example of our com-

mitment to R&D is exemplified by a
project to reduce the pollution fallout
of annual stubble burning by Punjab
farmers. I am pleased to inform you
that our researchers have developed
sustainable technologies to convert
agricultural stubble into marketable
products which will significantly
reduce environmental pollution in
Delhi and Punjab,” she informed the
audience comprising Vice Chancel-
lors and Deans of India’s top-ranked
private and public universities at the
EWIHERA conclave.
True to her word 18 months later, a
team of researchers from CURIN have
developed an eco-friendly technology
that converts rice straw residue into
high-purity silica gel using a sustain-
Chitkara University research students: challenge accepted. Inset: Dr. Madhu Chitkara able, green chemical process. Known
for its inherent non-toxic proper-
major grouse of sentient tionWorld, accepted the challenge to ties, chemically stable and absorbing
intellectuals — including address the issue of Punjab’s farmers moisture, silica gel has wide-ranging
A your editors — country- routinely burning residue stubble of industrial applications in the pharma-
wide is that despite being endowed the annual kharif crop to quickly pre- ceutical, cosmetics, electronics, food
with 52,000 undergraduate col- pare their fields for sowing the winter packaging, and storage businesses.
leges, 1,338 universities, 45 million rabi crop. Hitherto, extracting silica gel
students and estimated 2 million The toxic smoke that rises from from rice straw has been chemi-
“highly qualified” faculty, India has burnt stubble in rural Punjab (pop. 40 cally intensive, technically complex,
failed to ideate and commercialize a million) — India’s foodgrains bread- and economically unviable. But an
single global game-changer inven- basket state — wafts across north AgriSil team comprising faculty and
tion or technology in 78 years since India’s major cities, and mixing with students from CURIN led by Prof.
independence. Neither has its show- automobile and industrial emissions, Rakesh Goyal and research scholar
case academy succeeded in providing generates a heavy cloud of PM 2.5 Maninderjeet Singh claims to have
solutions for long-standing domestic concentrates in the windless winter devised a cost-effective methodology
socio-economic problems — air and months ruining air quality. Last win- to sustainably and economically con-
water pollution; upgrading slums- ter Delhi’s AQI (Air Quality Index) av- vert rice stubble into pure, readily
ridden, automobiles-choked cities; eraged between 300-400 against the marketable silica gel.
improving rock-bottom farm and WHO (World Health Organization) “A team of seven professors aided
factory productivity; providing af- norm of 50. And this winter, Delhi’s by 10-15 students have been working
fordable housing, upgrading woeful AQI has been even worse. on this project for two years. Dur-
public health and education systems According to Dr. Chitkara, Chitkara ing this time, we have developed a
(see https://educationworld.in/heis- University is ranked among Asia’s Top patented energy efficient technology
must-uplift-host-communities/). 325 universities by QS and #3 in India process to extract silica gel from wet,
Participating in a panel discussion for Research Quality by Times Higher damp and dry rice straw. However,
on this dismal subject at the EW India Education, the well-reputed London- this project will require another 15-18
Higher Education Rankings Awards based global universities ranking months for completion because we are
(EWIHERA) conclave staged in New firms. “In our CURIN (Chitkara Uni- still working on developing a process-
Delhi in April 2025, Dr. Madhu versity Research and Innovation Net- ing machine that will be installed in
Chitkara, Co-founder and Pro-Chan- work) we have established dedicated farm fields for converting stubble into
cellor of the new-age Chitkara Univer- technology enabling centres for re- silica gel on farmers’ doorsteps. Every
sity (estb. 2010), ranked India’s #1 newable energy, artificial intelligence, participating paddy (rice) farmer will
private university in Punjab by Educa- and healthcare research centres, and be given a receipt for the straw weight

20 EDUCATIONWORLD JANUARY 2026