Dharaksha Ecosolutions Addresses Crop Residue Burning and Plastic Pollution with its Biodegradable Packaging Material

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Dharaksha Ecosolutions, a Faridabad-based start-up, specializes in mycelium-based biodegradable packaging. It is among the seven revenue-generating start-ups selected under Cisco and Social Alpha’s Krishi Mangal second edition cohort, a scale-up accelerator program launched in 2021 to support start-ups in agriculture and allied livelihoods.

The worsening Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi NCR and other Northern Indian cities is part of the yearly news cycle. One of the major contributors to this issue is emissions from the burning of crop stubble (parali) by farmers in Punjab and Haryana.

Dharaksha, where ‘Dhara’ means earth and ‘Raksha’ means saving, is a group of dedicated, proactive innovators working on solutions to protect Mother Earth from hazardous air pollution caused by stubble burning. This biotech start-up, founded in 2020 by Arpit Dhupar and Anand Bodh, harnesses the natural ability of mycelium (roots of fungi) to break down complex organic matter through the secretion of enzymes. As mycelium continues to grow, it creates a nearly solid structure within its digested substrate.

The ability of mycelium to grow on various biomass and produce complex structures with a range of physical, chemical, biological, and mechanical properties is being utilized to produce a variety of materials that can be used as sustainable alternatives in packaging, food, construction, textile, medicine, and cosmetics industries. For bio-composite production, the substrate is inoculated with the culture of a selected fungal strain, allowing the mycelium to grow under specific humidity, air, and temperature conditions. Once the desired growth is obtained, the material is