[3] After receiving his master's degree, Vidyut Mohan worked for Simpa Networks on the development of affordable home solar power systems intended for use in rural areas.

[3] In 2016 he ran a biofuel pilot project based on his graduate research in Uttarakhand, processing pine needle waste into marketable charcoal.

[1] They worked to scale up their collaboratively developed biomass upgrade system, offering access to waste conversion to an increased number of farmers using a wider variety of agricultural byproducts.

[1] It uses a process called oxygen-lean torrefaction, which removes moisture and volatile organic substances from biomass, leaving behind a dense, carbon-rich product .

When he was preparing to launch Takachar, Mohan identified this market as having great potential for waste-derived alternatives, because most activated carbon is made from virgin wood.

[4] In 2020 Mohan was honored as one of the United Nations Environment Programme's Young Champions of the Earth, an award that comes with financial support for his project as well as access to mentorship.

[4] Vidyut Mohan and Takachar received the 2021 Earthshot Environmental Prize, awarded by the UK's Prince William to exceptional innovators working to find solutions that combat the existential threat of climate change.