REUSE OF CLAY SLUDGE What else can the clay sludge collected be used for ? Material experiments for
The clay sludge collected from individual homes comes back fairly clean and is returned to the artisans for reuse to make next years Ganesh idols. However the sludge collected from public immersions is a mixture of various materials and often has several types of earth cowdung and bits of POP as well. We collected this clay from public collection spots along with the Pune Municipal Corporation and approached products designers and architects to experiment with it .Â
The intention is to demonstrate myriad uses of this post consumer sludge that is currently being wasted and to show that it could become a key part of a circular economy model.Â
To reuse clay that is of a lower grade in quality , we have sent it out to architects that work with green building in and around Pune with a commitment from them that they will experiment on the applications of this clay at their own cost and share their learnings openly. Over the past two years this is how the clay from Pune has been allocated. The results of their tests can be seen below …
ARCHITECTURE & NATURAL BUILDING Innovations in clay recycling for construction
LANDSCAPE DESIGN Innovations in clay recycling for pondlining and ecosystem restoration
PLAY Skin sensitive applications
DISCLAIMER All clay collected through Punaravartan is being given away free of cost to architects and designers as well as institutions to encourage research, reuse and conservation of materials. There is no monetary benefit to any partner organisations.
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
The MIT University at Loni Kalbhor has agreed to partner with Punaravartan to engage the students in design experiments using the clay sludge. Several MIT students volunteered in the clay collection process and will be working with us to innovate on other applications of this material.Â
Working on a real life project such as this will give the students the exposure to how things work on the ground and the realities of the challenges the artisans face. Presentations were made to the students prior to the collection and we were surprised to discover that some of the students already came from families of Ganesh sculptors. In this eay, the next generation of sculptors would be sensitised to the ecological impacts of the materials they use.Â
The Bhanubhai Nanavati College of Architecture ( BNCA) Pune has entered into an MoU with Punaravartan to address various aspects of research and development related to the clay recycling. Ar. Isha Naik, a Masters level student at BNCA did a 40 day internship with the eCoexist Foundation in which she explored various additives and adhesives with the clay. See more about her work here.
Marathwada Mitramandal College of Architecture ( MMCOA ) Pune has signed an MoU with Punaravartan to involves students in the entire cycle of collection and recycling to understand how a circular economy can function in the use and reuse of this clay.
Pimpari Chinchwad College of Engineering, PCMC has signed an MoU with Punaravartan to involves students in the research and development around the recycling of clay for building applications.