An evening with Mr Tharun Kumar
Introduction
On Friday, February 2, we had a fascinating webinar by Mr Tharun Kumar, the founder and CEO of ECOSTP. This company has introduced a pioneering sewage treatment technology that replicates the digestive system of a cow. ECOSTP’s goal is to naturally reclaim every drop of wastewater. The company has already successfully reclaimed over 2 billion liters of sewage.
About Mr Tharun Kumar
With over two decades of experience in IT and Sustainability, Mr Tharun Kumar possesses extensive expertise in sustainable sewage treatment solutions. His career includes diverse technical and business leadership roles, notably with Aujas, Sutherland, ICICI, Cable & Wireless, Hughes, and Motorola. Mr Kumar is a LIF Fellow (Leaders in Innovation) of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, and a certified Energy Auditor.
Mr Kumar is dedicated to leveraging ancient knowledge to address contemporary environmental challenges, particularly in wastewater treatment. ECOSTP's mission is to combat the global water crisis by reusing sewage. The company has developed a groundbreaking ’Net Zero’ sewage treatment product, inspired by the bioengineering concept of a cow's stomach and mentored by the Biomimicry Institute, Montana. ECOSTP is currently implementing over 200 plants in 24 states and cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Patna, Kanpur, Delhi, and Goa.
Mr Kumar holds a patent in the field of bioengineering for sewage treatment. His remarkable contributions have earned him global recognition, including the 'Startup Entrepreneur of the Year' Award from the Economic Times Leaders of Tomorrow. India Today magazine recently recognized him as one of the 20 Changemakers and showcased him in the Republic Day issue.
About Biomimicry
Biomimicry is about learning from nature. Humans are not the first ones to process cellulose, make paper, optimize packing space, waterproof, heat and cool a structure or build houses. Other organisms are doing things very similar to what we need to do. In fact, they have been doing them in a way that have allowed them to live gracefully on this planet for billions of years. Over 3.8 billion years of evolution, nature has a lot to offer.
Biomimicry in action
The bullet train
Every time, the famous bullet train of Japan went into a tunnel it would build up a pressure wave. Then it would create a sonic boom when it exited. Eiji Nakatsu, chief engineer of the company operating Japan’s fastest trains, wanted to solve this problem.
Nakatsu got his inspiration from the kingfisher bird. The kingfisher’s beak is a long and narrow cone. The kingfisher’s beak enters the water without creating a compression wave below the surface or a noisy splash above. The fine point of the conical beak presents little surface area or resistance to the water upon entry. The evenly and gradually enlarging cross-section of the beak keeps fluid flowing smoothly around it as it penetrates further into the water column. This buys the bird crucial milliseconds to reach the fish before the fish can flee.
Nakatsu wondered if the kingfisher’s beak might serve as a model for how to redesign trains to reduce noise. Sure enough, the train became quieter and more efficient as the geometry of its nose approached the shape of a kingfisher’s beak. The new design requires 15% less energy while the train travels even faster than before.
Velcro
The VELCRO® brand of hook and loop was invented by a Swiss electrical engineer named George de Mestral in the 1940s while hunting in the Jura mountains in Switzerland. de Mestral realized that the tiny hooks of the cockle-burs were stuck on his pants and in his dog's fur. He wondered how they attached themselves. Under the scrutiny of the microscope, he observed the hooks engaging the loops in the fabric of his pants. He discovered it could be turned into something useful.
Sharkskin
How does a slow-moving shark keep its body free of bacteria build-up? It does so with the same denticles used in Speedo bathing suits, that broke all those records in the Olympics. Sharkskin is made up of countless overlapping scales called dermal denticles (or "little skin teeth"). The denticles have grooves running down their length in alignment with water flow.
Stenocora beetle
The Stenocara beetle lives in a harsh, dry desert environment. It can survive thanks to the unique design of its shell. The 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. The beetle’s activities have been mimicked in the development of new technologies, such as self-cleaning surfaces and water-collecting devices.
Bats
Bats use echolocation to pinpoint the location of prey and obstacles as they navigate through the air. Bats send out sound signals from their mouth and nose. The sound signal travels through the air, bounces off the object, and returns to the bat, informing the bat of the location of the object. Essentially, bats use their ears to “see” their environment, much like how ships use sonar.
The precise mapping capabilities of echolocation are being explored for medical applications like non-invasive tumor detection and early-stage disease diagnosis. Engineers are building robots equipped with bat-inspired echolocation systems to navigate complex environments and perform tasks like search and rescue in disaster zones. Some bat species can "see" infrared radiation, allowing them to detect prey hiding in the dark. This has inspired the development of infrared sensors for security applications and night-vision technology. The exceptional hearing capabilities of bats are being studied for the development of hearing aids.
Note: For bats to listen to the echoes of their original emissions and not be temporarily deafened by the intensity of their own calls, the middle ear muscle (called the stapedius) contracts to separate the three bones there--the malleus, incus and stapes, or hammer, anvil and stirrup--and reduce the hearing sensitivity. This contraction occurs about 6 ms before the larynx muscles (called the crycothyroid) begin to contract. The middle ear muscle relaxes 2 to 8 ms later. At this point, the ear is ready to receive the echo of an insect one meter away, which takes only 6 ms.” The external structure of bats' ears also plays an important role in receiving echoes. The large variation in sizes, shapes, folds, and wrinkles aid in the reception and funneling of echoes and sounds emitted from prey.
Moths
Bats get the information they need about their prey’s location from the biosonar signals that are echoed back to them after hitting their target. Moths avoid oncoming bats in the dark by hearing their chirps before the echoes bounce off the moths and return to the bats. Low-frequency sound signals are detected by a moth’s receptor hairs, while the tympanal organs detect high-frequency signals.
This kind of frequency-targeted, distributed sound detection could be useful for medical devices such as hearing aids. It could also be useful for sensor development in general, improving security systems on property, collision avoidance for vehicles, or wildlife monitoring. Certain moth species possess wings with flexible structures that enable agile and silent flight.
Moths' wing structures that effectively absorb and scatter sonar waves have inspired the development of radar-absorbent materials (RAMs) for stealth aircraft. These materials are used in the construction of aircraft surfaces to reduce radar reflection, making them less visible to enemy radar systems.
Mosquito / Wasp
Mosquito's proboscis, the organ it uses to penetrate skin and extract blood, is equipped with tiny serrations that help it penetrate skin with minimal discomfort to the host. Mosquitoes possess remarkable precision and control over the insertion of their proboscis, allowing them to navigate through complex layers of skin with ease. Medical device designers can learn from this to develop tools with improved accuracy and maneuverability for procedures requiring precise placement, such as injections or biopsies. Example: needles and catheters that minimize pain and tissue damage during insertion.
Similarly Wasps possess a highly specialized stinger that they use to inject venom with remarkable precision and efficiency. This can inspire the development of micro-scale needles or injectors modeled after the stinger of a wasp for precise and targeted drug delivery in medical treatments such as insulin injections or cancer therapy.
Termites
Termite mounds have a sophisticated ventilation system. The interior of termite mounds consists of thousands of interconnected channels, tunnels, and air chambers. These capture wind energy to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with the surroundings. This enables air circulation throughout the structure, helping maintain and regulate temperature and humidity.
By imitating the system used by termites, we can create new ways to control the airflow in buildings. This is more energy-efficient than traditional air conditioning, which uses the bulk flow principle, normally driven by fans.
ECOSTP
ECOSTP is all about rediscovering Nature’s Genius in treating Sewage by mimicking the cow’s stomach. ECOSTP treats sewage in a decentralized, self- sustainable way without power, chemicals, or human intervention. ECOSTP utilizes the functional principles and strategies of microorganisms and ecosystem found in a cow’s stomach.
ECOSTP does not have pumps/blowers used in conventional treatment plants. As a result, ECOSTP has lower operational and maintenance expenses and can be designed to suit existing land use planning. Unlike conventional plants, the space above the ECOSTP can be used for parking lots, playgrounds, landscaping etc. The treated water adheres to all Pollution Control Board norms.
ECOSTP provides the technology license through a DIY Kit. The STP is constructed by the client at the site. The easy to understand Lego model designs and detailed step by step unitised work instructions using locally available materials and labour ensure a flawless execution with a low carbon footprint.
The execution philosophy built on the 3C model - Co-create, Co-execute, and Co-evolve is inspired by the disciplined ant colony collective system with Biomimicry as the central theme.
ECOSTP has treated more than 2 billion liters of sewage. There are 200 + clients in 24 states (includes Adani, Tata Steel, etc). Only once in two years, we must remove sand. This is sludge that can be used as fertilizer.
Q&A
We are conditioned by the way we think things should work. In general, we are always in a hurry. We want things to happen immediately. We do not have patience. But nature is not in a hurry. For example, it takes longer to cook using a biogas stove. That is why it has not been able to compete with LPG. If we are open minded and work at the intersection of our knowledge and what nature has to offer, we can all benefit and biomimicry will take off.
Sometimes it helps when you are an outsider. Mr Kumar did not have any background as an environmentalist. He was a cybersecurity expert. In his community, he would see sewage overflowing and spilling into a nearby lake. The lake would catch fire. Once the fire continued for 14 hours. Mr. Kumar started thinking: how can we treat waste better? The existing sewage treatment plants (STPs) were not suitable. It was necessary to blow air for about 20 hours per day and pump in aerobic bacteria every hour or so. About 85% of STPs did not work. That is how the idea of ECOSTP emerged.
The whole idea of ECOSTP started by asking: what is there in the cow’s stomach? The answer was anaerobic bacteria. Then the question was: How does it work so well in the cow’s stomach? After that the cow became incidental. ECOSTP started talking to labs and tapping into their research on anerobic bacteria. It was all about combining existing knowledge with what nature has to offer and tapping into the ecosystem of labs and universities. ECOSTP forged close ties with IIT Jammu.
There are four types of anaerobic bacteria which produce glucose, alcohol, hydrogen and other gases. The challenge was how to make these bacteria work better and meet the Pollution Control Board standards.
There should be a big problem to solve. That is what enables a new idea to succeed. The idea will initially not gain acceptance. So it is important to target the early adapters. For biomimicry to work, there should be a champion group.
Patience is important. Nature based systems do not work with complete predictability or at great speed. Overnight success is difficult. One must keep aside at least 1000 days or three years. A long-term mindset is important. Nature is not in a hurry.
Purpose is also important. Once the purpose is defined and articulated, support can be easily mobilized. ECOSTP was solving a big messy problem. So there were many supporters.
The competitors did not behave professionally, when they saw the entry of a new competitor with a different value proposition that threatened their own revenue model. They approached the regulator to block the invention. When the Pollution Control Board (PCB) banned the product, Mr Kumar even thought of moving to Telangana. Then the company approached the senior officials of the PCB and got the ban lifted. The PCB used ECOSTP for their own building. Thus, the early days of ECOSTP were not easy. But purpose helped, backed by resilience and persistence.
AI probably does not have much of a role to play in the biological functioning of the ECOSTP. There are no moving parts. However, there are discussions with IIT Jammu around using AI to develop new bacteria.
The immediate application of AI is in delivery. ECOSTP provides the DIY kit. The customers build it themselves at their site using local material. The equipment should finally work. AI can make it easy to build the DYI kit. The instructions can be better conveyed through AI.
Nature does not discriminate between good and bad. It is up to us to choose what we want. We can mimic wetlands. But they come with many things we do not want, such as worms. We can use our judgment, put filters, and remove what we do not want. Nature breaks everything down. If we understand this, we will know where we can put filters and block organisms such as worms. If we understand why worms exist, we can eliminate them.
Nature knows when something is going wrong. There are inbuilt mechanisms in nature to deal with risk. Nature is fully prepared for eventualities. The principles on which nature operates include diversity, redundancy, decentralization, self renewal, self-repair. These principles can be applied in many situations. Once we love nature and start observing it closely, many things are possible. For example, when trees burn, the bark provides insulation, minimizing damage to deeper tissues. The internal parts remain intact, and the trees can regenerate themselves.
Innovation must comply with the laws of the land. PCB has norms such as Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). If the norms are too stringent like BOD3 in Kerala, it may be difficult for biomimicry by itself to do the task. We may have to combine it with our own knowledge. We can use biomimicry to do most of the heavy lifting and then use conventional technology to reach the desired level of purity. (As per BOD3 norms, sewage water should be like pure drinking water.)
The current methods of carbon capture are not sustainable. Nature has better ways. We must try to understand them. We put a sponge and absorb the carbon. But nature has better ways of dealing with the problem.
In foreign countries, the government collects the waste and processes it. So traditional methods of sewage treatment may still be needed. In India, it is decentralized. The builders implement them in office and residential complexes. So the ECOSTP concept is more relevant. But with Net Zero catching up, there is an increasing focus on the environment across the world.
Biomimicry is not just for product development. It can be a way of life. The principles of nature can be used to run organizations. Nature has an answer to most of our problems. Even for managing conflicts, we can learn from nature.
Consider Geese V formation. The way geese fly gives several ideas of how a 21st century organization should run. Scientists have determined that the V-shaped formation that geese use when migrating serves two important purposes. First, it conserves their energy. Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front of them, resulting in a reduction of wind resistance. The birds take turns being in the front, falling back when they get tired. In this way, the geese can fly for a long time before they must stop for rest. In short, by flying in formation, birds can glide more often and reduce their energy expenditure. It is all about teamwork and supporting each other, the crying need in all organizations. Another benefit of the V formation is that it is easy to keep track of every bird in the group. Flying in formation may assist with the communication and coordination within the group. Fighter pilots often use this formation for the same reason.
We should acknowledge biomimicry as an important stream and make it a part of the curriculum. Some institutions are leading the way. IIT Madras has set up a separate group. Biomimicry should also be incorporated in the daily activities of the school. Competitions can be held among students. The right mindset towards learning from nature must be inculcated in young children. Biomimicry should be a part of the curriculum. Mr. Kumar offers a 4-hour course in various engineering colleges.