Utilization of temple floral waste for extraction of valuable products: A close loop approach towards environmental sustainability and waste management

This study presents the natural dye recovery from various biodegradable temple and household wastes. The raw material for colour extraction consisted residual flowers and garlands from various temples as well as onion and vegetables peels from vegetable markets, university hostels, and households, which were washed, dried, crushed, and sieved. The extracted natural colours were produced by means of ultra-sonication, and were dried in the spray drier, being characterized by FT-IR and UV-Vis Spectrophotometers. They were used to dye various fabrics such as cotton, silk, and wool, not to mention different mordents. It was found out that the remaining residue, left after dye extraction, was rich in nutrients, hence, it could be further used as the resource material, itself. As a result, we explored these residual wastes for vermicomposting and biochar production, which can be further employed as an organic fertilizer for agriculture. Overall, the present waste management approach will lead to a closed-loop environmental management through waste reduction and reutilization. It will also provide value-added materials for economic gains from waste. Thus, it can be promoted as a potential mechanism to maintain the environmental sustainability at wider scales.