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ReturnIndia: CSB to turn silk waste into wealth
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PublishDate：
2006-03-24 14:41:00
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BANGALORE: The Central Silk Board (CSB) is looking at the possibility of having a ’drying and pupa oil extraction’ package introduced for the sericulture sector during the Eleventh Plan period. The package, sources told ET, was critical to address the issue of disposal of pupa waste generated during silk reeling.
Unlike other silk producing nations like Thailand, which have limited cocoon production and resort to drying and storing the cocoons for use in the non-producing season, India uses green (fresh) cocoons for producing silk yarn. It is a common sight to see mounds of putrefying pupa waste lying on the road near many reeling centres.
Under the package, the board intends to provide technical support besides helping the entrepreneurs procure the drying chamber and oil extraction unit. “The idea is that the entrepreneur would chip in with land and infrastructure to house the equipment. The board will provide hands-on training and support in the initial phase to run the equipment,” sources said.
CSB sources estimated that the equipment would cost about Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh and that the country could have as many as four such units operational in major reeling centres like Ramanagaram and Sidlaghata (both in Karnataka), Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu) and Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh during the Eleventh Plan period.
On an average, the pupa can weigh as much as 75 to 80% of the cocoon’s weight. Typically it would take about eight hours to 10 hours to fully dry the wet pupa. Each drying chamber can dry about two tonnes of wet pupa.
The board is also looking to tie up with energy consultants like TERI or solar-heating technology providers to offer technologies which are not just cost-effective but also eco-friendly.
Once dried, the oil is extracted from the pupa, using the solvent-extraction method. Each pupa can yield around 20 to 22% of oil.
Estimates indicate that India, which has an annual production of about 15,000 tonnes of silk, can produce over 2,000 tonnes of pupa oil which finds application in various industries like lubricants and paints.
