Dr Saakshy Agarwal Research Scientist KNHPI Jaipur talks on Eco-friendly Handmade Paper Technology at Banasthali

The first true copy of the Constitution of India was on handmade paper with a shelf life of 100 to 500 years made from materials recycled from textile fibres, agricultural waste, assorted local grasses and other organic materials.

Based on the recommendations of Mr.Simon B.Green, a UNIDO expert, a joint UNDP-KVIC Project “Strengthening the Handmade Paper Industry in India” was formulated in the year 1991 with the main objective of enhancing the performance of the handmade paper industry & competitiveness of its products in domestic and export market. 1992 being the centenary year of Prof. J.C. Kumarappa, a great philosopher and an economist, the project was given the name as Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute KNHPI Sanganer Jaipur to pay humble tribute to commemorate his devotion, dedication and commitment towards the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi for the development of village industries in the contemporary socio- economic scenario.

The Institute was converted into an autonomous body registered under Society Registration Act, 1860 on the 8th August 1997 with area of operation throughout the country to maintain its national character. KNHPI has state of the art facilities for bench scale studies and pilot plant studies for handmade paper. Its indeed a matter of pride that Banasthali has a long term MoU with KNHPI Jaipur.

Research Scientist Dr Saakshy Agarwal who holds MSc (Pulp & Paper) from IIT Roorkee, MSc in Ecology and Environment, MTech and PhD from MNIT Jaipur has over two decades of domain expertise in handmade paper. Addressing the Chemical Engineering students of Banasthali on 10 Sep 2017, Dr Saakshy Agarwal gave an overview of paper technology, historical evolution of handmade paper, raw materials, process technology for handmade paper, environmental issues etc. It was indeed eye opening to hear from her that per capita consumption of paper in India today is just 13 kg while the global average is 57Kg and that despite all hype about digitization, demand for paper continues to grow at 53% in next five years. When one hears that 1 metric ton of factory made paper requires 27 Eucalyptus trees to be chopped, the interest in handmade paper emerges from sustainable development point of view. She also shared interesting details about use of natural dyes, adsorption studies with fly ash for removal of pollutants etc.

Miss Meenakshi Faculty of Chemical Engineering welcomed the gathering at the auditorium of Jamnalal Bajaj School of Legal Studies, introduced the speaker and anchored the entire proceedings. Prof Satish Chandra Shukla coordinated her Banasthali visit and logistics. Prof BR Natarajan presented a glittering memento to Dr Saakshy Agarwal and thanked her for extending internship and research offers for Banasthali students and faculty at KNHPI Jaipur.

For more details about Banasthali see http://www.banasthali.org/

About Banasthali: The Institution which is also the largest fully residential women’s university in the world has played a big role in revolutionizing women’s education in the country for the last eight decades with a belief that there is a tremendous role of higher education in empowering the women. Banasthali has scripted numerous success stories in a wide range of fields, and stands tall among the citadels of learning in India today. Team Banasthali with Vice Chancellor J C Bose Memorial Award for eminent scientist recipient Prof Aditya Shastri a highly acclaimed alumnus of BITS Pilani, SUNY State University of New York Stony Brook and MIT USA is indeed racing forward to be the very best among global women universities. Proud to be Banasthali alumni who call themselves as Banasthalites can be found in all latitudes, longitudes and altitudes in all walks of life across the globe.

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This release was published on openPR.