HYDERABAD: What if yesterday’s leftovers could fuel tomorrow’s meals? At Osmania University, that question is no longer hypothetical. Food waste from hostel kitchens is being converted into biogas at the Mahalakshmi Biogas Plant, bringing down LPG consumption and offering a working model of the circular economy—while improving working conditions for the very people who cook those meals.
The initiative, spearheaded by Prof C Srinivasulu of the Department of Zoology, earned him recognition as a Changemaker at Saahas@25, marking the waste management organisation’s 25th anniversary. The award was presented in New Delhi on Friday.
“Why can’t we use the organic material generated in our kitchens and dining halls to produce biogas and use it for cooking?” Prof Srinivasulu recalled asking — the question that set the whole thing in motion.
An earlier pilot plant at OU’s Engineering College, established around 2018-19, had already shown what was possible, converting food waste into energy before the Covid-19 pandemic brought it to a halt. Later, a survey of 24 campus kitchens and messes identified 17 potential sources of organic waste. With support from Saahas, a non-profit organisation, and the university administration, a plant capable of processing two tonnes of waste a day was established in 2024.
Today, the facility supplies biogas to two kitchens at the women’s hostel complex. One kitchen has shifted entirely to biogas; the other uses it partially. For kitchen staff previously exposed to smoke and eye irritation, the change has been a quiet relief. “The idea is to complete the loop,” Prof Srinivasulu said. “The organic waste we generate is converted into biogas, which is then used for cooking. We are also trying to use the leftover slurry in our gardens.”
That nutrient-rich slurry is being explored as an organic fertiliser, though odour-related concerns need to be addressed before it can be used more widely. The numbers tell their own story. In August this year alone, the plant processed 40,088 kg of food waste, producing 6,778 cubic metres of biogas — of which 6,734.2 cubic metres was used in kitchens. That was equivalent to an estimated 2,828.4 kg of LPG, saving nearly Rs 1.98 lakh in a single month.
By the end of August, the facility had processed around 517.8 tonnes of food waste since November 2024. Estimated cumulative LPG savings stood at Rs 25.14 lakh, with another Rs 15.02 lakh saved in waste disposal costs, Prof Srinivasulu added.