A TEAM of Mechanical Engineering students from NagpurInstitute ofTechnology (NIT) has brought national recognition to the institute by winning first prize at Anveshan 2025, the prestigious national level project competition organised by the Association of Indian Universities. Their project also secured first prize in the Paper Presentationcompetition at the InstitutionofEngineers,Nagpur Centre, and won the zonal first prize in the Nagpur - Wardha Avishkar competition.

 

It later bagged secondprizein the final round of the 17th Maharashtra StateInter-UniversityResearch Convention and earneda place in the top ten projects across the State at the Avishkar ‘AAH’ GrandFinaleinLonere,Raigad. The winning team, Abhay Gedam, Pavan Patil, Ankush Baheshwar, andUtkarshDhore, developed an innovative, lowcostmachine thatconvertsagricultural waste into incense sticks andother aromaticproducts. Their project, guided by AbhijeetRautandPiyushPande, addresses a key issue faced by small-scale farmers: the disposal of crop residues,whichare often burnt, harming both the environment and human health. The machine processes common agricultural residues such as stalks, husks, and straw into commercially viable incenseproducts,offering farmersanewsourceofincomewhile significantlyreducingpollution.

 

The compact machine is designed for ease of use and can be operated with minimal training at the village level. NIT Principal Dr Amol Deshmukh congratulated the studentson theirsuccess,praising their commitment to sustainable development. He also acknowledged the support of Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha, and Dr V Kalbande, Head of Mechanical Engineering, for fostering an environment that encourages research and innovation. The students are now exploring patenting the design and plan to collaborate with local manufacturers for pilot production, with the hope of bringing this solution to farming communities across Vidarbha.