Woman entrepreneur Stuti Sidhu wins award for Innovative Plastic and Fuel Solution

I-GRO ENERGY, founded by Stuti Sidhu, has been awarded the Power2SME’s Spirit of Manufacturing award for 2024. The Delhi-based company is being recognized for its groundbreaking work in recycling waste plastic into diesel fuel.

“It feels like someone has finally acknowledged all the years of effort we have put into IGRO,” said Sidhu after receiving the award for Woman Entrepreneur of the Year at a ceremony held on March 8th in New Delhi.

Incorporated in 2020, I-GRO initially focused on manufacturing fuel cells made entirely in India. But in 2022, the company launched a pilot project using pyrolysis to convert plastic waste into light diesel oil and hydrogen.

That initial pilot recycling 2,000 kgs of plastic per day was rapidly scaled up. I-GRO’s main facility in Sikandrabad now processes 12,000 kgs of plastic daily, producing 5,400 kgs of diesel oil and 120 kgs of hydrogen. The diesel is sold at low prices to local farmers for agricultural machinery.

The plant also recycles 10,000 kgs of rubber waste per day into powder for manufacturing rubber products.

With revenues of Rs. 90 million in 2023 from plastic and rubber recycling alone, I-GRO is now venturing into lithium-ion battery recycling as well. The company has acquired land in Maharashtra to commission a new facility focused on recycling EV batteries in partnership with major industry players.

Sidhu’s innovative circular economy solution is tackling the dual challenges of plastic waste and fuel depletion head-on. Her recognition as a top woman entrepreneur highlights the importance of such sustainable business models.