About Lemnion ~

Lemnion Green Solutions has provided biological systems to treat and reuse wastewater since 2017. They offer answers based on a proven toolkit set up for specific cases. This toolkit relies on ideas of fixing ecosystems using plants to clean up (Phytoremediation refers to the use of plants and related soil microbes to lower the amounts or harmful effects of pollutants in the environment.), and using living things to clean up (Bioremediation can be defined as any process that uses bacteria, fungi green plants or their enzymes to bring back the environment changed by pollutants to how it was before). Their team connects with their customers and gives them the great service they should get. What sets them apart the most is how little extra energy they need for their work, which means they spend way less money to run things. Some times, you get to collect extra stuff like protein-rich plant matter, which could maybe make you more money.
 

Dr. Prasanna Jogdeo( A passionate environmentalist with a Ph.D. in Marine Biotechnology, and co-founder of Lemnion), discusses the work of his startup with an audience while sporting a black T-shirt. (Source: Google Images ) 
 

Using Duckweed: Lemnion is using the cool features of duckweed, a tiny water plant, to deal with big environmental problems ~

Using duckweed can help clean up dirty water. Fixing nature is a big job that needs lots of different experts. Duckweed is great at soaking up yucky stuff from water. It's the tiniest flowering plant that floats on top of water and sucks up nutrients through its roots. This little plant grows super fast doubling in size every 2 to 4 days. It also turns the gross stuff in water into protein. Duckweed has about 40% protein just like soybeans. To clean water with duckweed, you need to let the water sit for about four days. You put the duckweed in the water, and it spreads out to cover everything. Every two weeks, you can take out about 75% of the duckweed and use it as plant food in your garden. Duckweed cleans water by taking in extra nutrients and yucky stuff making the water better for animals and people to use. You can turn duckweed into food for farm animals and fish so we don't have to use as much regular animal food. Duckweed also helps fight climate change because it grows so fast and takes in carbon dioxide from the air.

Making Water Bodies Better ~

Lemnion's first big nature cleanup project was the Kamandalu River in Sangli Maharashtra. The village Kavathe Mahankal, with about 25,000 people, sits by this river. The whole thing, from planning to doing, took seven months starting in March 2022. "When we first saw the river and talked to villagers, they didn't even know it had a name. They thought it was just a little stream and called it an odha in Marathi. People didn't know much about why the river mattered in history or religion. Old stories say a shepherd found a statue of Goddess Mahankali in the riverbed. That's why they named the village Kavathe Mahankal. The river used to be healthy but turned into a small forgotten stream over time," says Jogdeo (A nature lover with a Ph.D. in Marine Biotechnology, who helped start Lemnion).


Lemnion Green Solutions co-founder Pooja Tendulkar explains the Kamandalu River project to Mr. Rohit Patil. (Source: Google Images) 

To get the project going, most of the money came from local charities like the RR Patil Dnyan Prabodhini and Agrani Rurban Development Foundation. The Naam Foundation pitched in by providing the digging machines to help bring the area back to life.

Workers cleared solid waste, built-up silt, and overgrown Typha (tall reedy marsh plants) from the river making the water visible again. To boost water quality, they needed to clean up the sewage flowing into the river. So, they set up natural systems to clean about 600,000 to 800,000 liters of sewage. This cut down on bad smells and stopped mosquitoes from breeding. They planted local trees to keep the banks steady and stop soil from washing away. They also used stone pitching and coir lining to make the banks stronger. What's more, they built bunds and structures in the riverbed to control water flow. They added loose boulder structures where needed. Because of this work, the river started to get healthy again. Around 250 students and 100 villagers helped out with this project. The project gave about 60 workers jobs for three to four months. Now, the river is full of life. Fish, crabs, and other water plants have come back. Birds have started returning too.

Developing innovative ideas in green energy by converting duckweed plants into fuel offers a clean alternative to conventional gas and oil. Extensive research is being conducted to discover diverse applications for duckweed. Collaborating with local communities to educate them about eco-friendly practices and encouraging their participation ensures collective efforts to take care of the environment.