About Takachar
Each winter, North India battles a familiar enemy: hazardous smog. A key contributor is open-air stubble burning—the only viable option for smallholder farmers, for whom crop residue is bulky, low in value, and expensive to transport. Takachar is changing this reality with a practical, portable solution.
The MIT spinoff has developed a compact, affordable machine that converts crop residue into valuable bio-products—directly on the farm. Designed to attach to a standard tractor, the machine uses a controlled roasting process that transforms agricultural waste into biochar, which can be sold as biofuel, fertiliser, or activated carbon. This process significantly reduces harmful emissions like CO₂ and NOx, and eliminates the need for incineration.
The technology is auto-thermal, requiring no external fuel or heat, and can cut processing costs by up to 75%. Unlike other systems, Takachar’s equipment is mobile, adaptable, and capable of handling multiple types of crop waste without the need for modification. This makes it not only cost-effective but scalable, especially in rural and off-grid settings.
By enabling decentralised biomass processing, Takachar helps farmers build climate resilience, turn waste into income, while also reducing air pollution and climate-related risks like wildfires. With deployments across India, Kenya, and the United States, Takachar’s model is a powerful example of how local innovation can turn an environmental problem into a platform for economic empowerment.
Takachar at MIF’s Scale-Up
Takachar was inducted into Scale-Up in April 2024. Through the no-equity accelerator, MIF is supporting the startup in streamlining its payment and approval systems and facilitating partnerships with potential buyers of the technology.
As of 2025, Takachar remains an active Scale-Up participant, with strong potential to create environmental impact at scale while solving for agri-waste.
