| Project ID |
BITS-SRIP/9EF904/2026 |
| Project Title |
From Farm Waste to Car Parts: Designing Next-Generation Sustainable Automotive Polymers through Waste-to-Wealth Innovation |
| Project Description |
This two-month summer internship project focuses on developing sustainable polymer materials for automotive applications by integrating agro-waste into existing automotive-grade polymers. The project will be carried out in collaboration with Ecocycle Innovations, which works on waste-to-wealth solutions by converting agricultural and plastic waste into value-added materials. The central idea is to assess whether agro-waste reinforced polymer composites can match or closely approach the performance of conventional polymers currently used in vehicles, while offering clear environmental benefits.
The work will involve studying commonly used polymers in automotive interiors and non-critical structural components, followed by selection and processing of suitable agro-waste materials such as rice husk, wheat straw, bagasse, or similar biomass residues. The intern(s) will assist in material compounding, specimen preparation, and evaluation of mechanical, thermal, and basic durability properties, with direct comparison to existing automotive material benchmarks. Attention will be given to processing challenges, interfacial compatibility, and property consistency when bio-fillers are introduced into polymer matrices.
An important component of the internship will be a life cycle assessment (LCA) study to quantify the environmental impact of these materials from raw material sourcing to end-of-life. The analysis will examine energy consumption, carbon footprint, and waste reduction potential, particularly focusing on scenarios where vehicles reach end-of-life and materials enter the recycling stream. The intern(s) will evaluate the recyclability and reusability of the developed composites, including how many reprocessing cycles they can undergo before experiencing unacceptable property degradation, and whether they can be repurposed for secondary or non-automotive applications.
The expected outcomes include a comparative assessment of performance and sustainability between conventional automotive polymers and agro-waste reinforced alternatives, insights into circular economy potential for vehicle materials, and practical exposure to industry–startup collaboration in sustainable materials development. The project aims to inspire innovation-driven thinking among students while contributing to scalable waste-to-wealth solutions for the automotive sector. |
| Project Discipline |
The internship is suitable for undergraduate (BE/BTech) students from Materials Science, Polymer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or allied disciplines, with an interest in sustainable materials, polymer processing, and circular economy or waste-to-wealth technologies |
| Faculty Name |
Tribeni Roy |
| Department |
Department of Mechanical Engineering |
