Waste Management and Circular Economy: An Amalgamation of

Biotechnology and Environment Sustainability

Sushma Gautam1, Monika Sen2, Vishali Khurana3, Gunaj Khurana4 and Neha Sharma5*
1,2,5
Department of Biotechnology, Maharishi Markandeshwar Engineering College
Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Management
3,4

Corresponding author*: Prof(Dr) Neha Sharma, Department of Biotechnology and Head,

Techno-Commercial Incubator, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University),
Mullana-Ambala-133207(Haryana)
Correspondence*: dr.nehasharma@mmumullana.org
Abstract
Waste management or waste disposal is all the activities and actions required to manage waste
from its inception to final disposal. The term normally relates to all kinds of waste, whether
generated during the extraction of raw materials, the processing of raw materials into intermediate
and final products, the consumption of final products, or other human activities, including
municipal (residential, institutional, commercial), agricultural, and social (health care, household
hazardous waste, sewage sludge).Waste management is intended to reduce adverse effects of
waste on health, the environment or aesthetics. Various strategies based at mitigating this
environmental menace has been a focal theme of policy makers, researchers, academicians,
stakeholders and society at large. One of them is developing bio-char from floral waste. Bio-char
is carbon rich material produced from organic feedstock. It has received attention due to its
unique feature such as high carbon content, cation exchange capacity, large specific surface area
and aromatic structure. It not only elevates pH, but also mitigate some of the heavy metal toxicity
in soil and water escalating plant growth. Biochar has made substantial breakthroughs in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, reducing soil nutrient leaching losses, sequester
atmospheric carbon into the soil, increasing agricultural productivity, reducing bioavailability of
environmental contaminants and subsequently, becoming a value-added product leveraging bio-
economy. Bio-economy implies the exploration and exploitation of bio-resources, which involves
the use of biotechnology to create new bio-products of economic value. It’s a marketable bio-
product, which can be used in agriculture, industries and energy sector. Thus, biochar production
not only enhances soil and water property. Additionally this technical approach can be
transformed into a market driven approach and encompassing livelihood generation and skillfull
employability. With this approach, we will attempt to develop a value proposition model by
throughput biotechnological interventions culminating into value added prototype development.
This approach, we believe will necessarily help us in inching closer to circular economy.

Keywords: Bio-economy, Bio-char, Circular economy, Environmental contaminants and Floral

waste