Mysuru students develop tech to replace steel with bamboo for low-carbon homes

Students of Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysuru, have demonstrated how bamboo can be used in lieu of steel to build low-cost and eco-friendly houses.

Transforming bamboo into a mesh, the students developed a spherical shell that was used to make slabs to be used in building construction. The slabs were found in laboratory tests to be able to sustain 700 kg of weight, the students said.

The slabs were found in laboratory tests to be able to sustain 700 kg of weight, the students said | Express photo

“The shell used is light, which makes it not just low-cost but also low-maintenance, weather-proof, economical and resistant to corrosion,” said Dr Umesha P K, the professor who guided the students Nishanth, Karthik M P, and Mahendra Halamandage to develop the technology.

Umesha claimed that shell was earthquake-resistant, adding that their invention would boost bamboo cultivation, which would reduce carbon dioxide in the air, leading to sustainable development.

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These slabs can also be used a cover for a water tanks and septic tanks and roofs for low-cost toilets, the students said. | Express photo

Explaining the green credentials of their invention, Nishanth said, “In order to produce 1 ton of steel, 2.4 ton of carbon dioxide will be emitted to the atmosphere. This is the major issue we have tried to solve using bamboo.”

These slabs can also be used a cover for a water tanks and septic tanks and roofs for low-cost toilets, the students said.

The college has filed for a patent for the invention, which has already been adjudged the best project of 2021 by the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology.