Lately, it’s been evident the amount of environmental damage humanity is inflicting on the planet. In response, many people worldwide are starting to reuse available materials, however possible, to refrain from creating more waste. One such individual is a 14-year-old girl named Srija from Telangana, a city in India’s Gadwal region, who made biodegradable plant pots out of discarded peanut shells.
Srija has always been very interested in tree planting efforts happening around her city and at her school. Then, one day when she was digging in the dirt to plant a tree, she was shocked to find a plastic bag underground.
She said in an interview with the local outlet The Better India:
I immediately realized that this was from one of the previous sapling planting drives at the school. I didn’t want this to continue every year, so I started thinking about a sustainable solution for planting seedlings.
In Gadwal, there are many large peanut plantations, so there are lots of wasted shells.
Srija explained in the interview:
Normally, the shells are ground into powder or made into pulp and used as compost. With the help of my mentor and math teacher, Augustien P, I learned that shells are rich in phosphorus and calcium.
Plus, peanuts retain water well and gradually decompose, so they thrive in the top layer of soil.
Considering all these benefits, Srija decided to use the peanut shells going to waste as raw material to make 100% biodegradable pot that also benefits plants with their nutrients.
However, the idea was not as easy as she thought, and her first attempts were unsuccessful.
She said:
My first attempt was unsuccessful because the pot was too fragile.
She sought help from Professor Augustien to transform the pot into a hard one by adding some “extra regular attachments.” They didn’t reveal any details of their secret ingredient. The new method was an outstanding achievement.
Srija’s mentor said:
Once the pot was sturdy enough, Srija added some soil and planted a neem shoot in it. We buried it underground at school and monitored it regularly to determine how long it would take to disintegrate.
He said that the pot took less than 20 days to degrade.
Srija’s idea was approved by T-Works, Telangana, which offered a model plan to manufacture machinery to help her increase the production limit.
Srija said:
I have been making five to six planters each day by hand and have successfully planted 80 saplings. But, with the machinery, I can increase the production capacity and make 10,000 seedlings by July.
She also won the CSIR Innovation Award.
Augustien said that the school (Zilla Parishad High School) would be sourcing from Srija planters for future tree-planting drives.
