Forget LPG cylinders, this Pune IITian hasn’t bought cooking gas in 7 years. His ‘Vaayu’ turns kitchen waste into fuel

At a time when consumers across the country are worried about LPG cylinder supply, a Pune-based IIT engineer’s homegrown solution is drawing attention. Priyadarshan Sahasrabuddhe, an IIT Mumbai alumnus, has developed a compact biogas system called ‘Vaayu’ that converts everyday kitchen waste into cooking fuel. As uncertainty around LPG availability grew in recent weeks due to ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, his unique idea is gaining traction online.

As per a HT repoert, Sahasrabuddhe said that he has started getting demand for the technology as supply worries spread across the country. “I began getting calls almost every two minutes after the LPG crisis started. In just a few days, more than 500 people contacted us asking about installations,” he told TOI.

How ‘Vaayu’ converts waste into fuel

The ‘Vaayu’ system runs on simple inputs, kitchen waste such as vegetable peels, leftover food, rice and chapatis. This waste goes into a digester filled with methanogenic microorganisms. In an oxygen-free environment, the waste breaks down and produces methane gas through anaerobic digestion.


Also Read: Chaitra Navratri 2026 Date: When is Navratri starting? When is Ashtami, Ram Navami? Check full nine-day calendar

The gas collects in a balloon-like storage unit and flows through a pipeline directly to the kitchen stove, allowing users to cook much like they would with LPG.

Daily waste, daily fuel

The system needs a steady supply of organic waste to function efficiently. Around five kg of wet waste per day helps generate enough gas for regular cooking. The Vaayu generates around 200 liter of biogas in 24 hours from two kg of organic waste daily, equivalent to roughly 40 minutes of cooking gas.

No LPG at home for 7 years

Sahasrabuddhe said that he installed the system at his Pune residence in 2019 and has not relied on LPG since then. The unit does not require electricity and needs cleaning only once in about six months.

The process also leaves behind a slurry, which households can use as fertiliser for plants.

Since its launch, over 450 ‘Vaayu’ systems have been installed in cities including Pune, Sangli, Aurangabad, Nashik, Palghar, Umarkhed and Hyderabad.

However, the system does not start producing gas immediately. It takes about four weeks for the microbial ecosystem to stabilise.

Despite the waiting period, Sahasrabuddhe believes such systems can cut both landfill waste and LPG use if adopted widely. He told HT that his long-term target is to convert 200 tonnes of food waste into energy every day over the next five years through community participation.