Learning from Nature – Biomimicry
Tharun has got twenty+ years experience in the field of IT and Sustainability. He held a rich mix of experience in technical and well as business leadership positions in the past for Sutherland, ICICI OneSource, Cable & Wireless, Hughes and Motorola. In his current role Tharun is focusing on harnessing ancient knowledge and practically apply for today’s environmental problems specifically wastewater treatment. He and team created a unique ‘Zero Power Zero Chemical’ sewage treatment technology which is a replica of a cows stomach based on bioengineering concept. The team is mentored by Biomimicry Institute, Montana.Tharun holds a patent in bio engineering for sewage treatment.
Biomimicry is learning from and then emulating nature’s forms, processes, and ecosystems to create sustainable solutions to solve todays challenges. The core idea is that life has been on Earth for 3.8 billion years and has learned during that time what works and what lasts and how to fit in here. Velcro is widely known example of biomimicry. Velcro was invented by Swiss engineer George de Mestral in 1941 after he removed burrs from his dog and decided to take a closer look at how they worked. The small hooks found at the end of the burr needles inspired him to create the now ubiquitous Velcro. The Stenocara beetle is a master water collector. The small black bug lives in a harsh, dry desert environment and is able to survive thanks to the unique design of its shell. Lets explore a Beetle next. The Stenocara Beetle’s back is covered in small, smooth bumps that serve as collection points for condensed water or fog. The entire shell is covered in a slick, Teflon-like wax and is channeled so that condensed water from morning fog is funneled into the beetle’s mouth. It’s brilliant in its simplicity. Researchers at MIT have been able to build on a concept inspired by the Stenocara’s shell and first described by Oxford University’s Andrew Parker. They have crafted a material that collects water from the air more efficiently than existing designs. Another example is ECOSTP , the patented sewage treatment solution based on Cow’s stomach. The biological strategy was to look at how a cow’s stomach implements anaerobic digestion in detail and copying it to solve a real world issue. As we all know, the ruminant stomach in a cow turns grass into milk, meat, and wool. The team biologized the same method to convert “bad” water to “good” water using exactly the same ruminant stomach process.