India producing 2G ethanol from stubble

NEW DELHI: Endowed with abundant natural produce, various parts of India often face the challenge of too much stubble. Making proper use of stubble, the country started making biofuels out of it.

Biofuels promote greenery and protect nature. These are not only nature friendly but also promotes the contribution of farmers in protecting the environment. This also boosts the use of alternative fuels.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a second generation (2G) ethanol plant at Haryana's Panipat.

On one side, India produces abundant paddy and wheat but its stubble is not fully utilised. The bio-fuel plant at Panipat will not only dispose off the stubble without burning it but will have multiple benefits.

Dedicating the 2G ethanol plant at Panipat to the country, the Prime Minister said: "The bio-fuel plant of Panipat will also be able to dispose off the stubble without burning it. Stubble which was a burden for the farmers, and was a cause of concern, would become a means of additional income for them. Pollution will be reduced, and the contribution of farmers to protecting the environment will increase further."

The priorities of the Central government include increasing the income of farmers as well as promoting an alternative to petrol, diesel, and gas. This plant reflects the same commitment.

This plant will reduce pollution in Delhi, Haryana, and the National Capital Region.

India needs abundant energy for growth and prosperity. Strong efforts were initiated in the last few years to become self reliant in the field of energy. The dedication of the plant is part of a long series of steps taken by the government over the years to boost the production and usage of biofuels in the country. This is in line with the Prime Minister's constant endeavour to transform the energy sector into being more affordable, accessible, efficient, and sustainable.

The 2G ethanol plant has been built at an estimated cost of over Rs 900 crore by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

Based on state-of-the-art indigenous technology, the project will turn a new chapter in India's waste-to-wealth endeavours by utilising about 2 lakh tonnes of rice straw annually to generate around 3 crore litres of ethanol annually.

Creating an end-use for the agri-crop residue would empower farmers and provide an additional income generation opportunity.

Due to the mixing of ethanol in petrol, in the last seven-eight years, about Rs 50,000 crore of the country have been saved from going abroad. And about the same amount has gone to the farmers of our country because of ethanol blending.

Till eight years ago only 40 crore litres of ethanol was produced in the country; now this production is about 400 crore litres.

The project will provide direct employment to people involved in the plant operation and indirect employment will be generated in the supply chain for rice straw cutting, handling, storage among others.

By reducing the burning of rice straw, the project will reduce Greenhouse Gases equivalent to about 3 lakh tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent emissions per annum, which can be understood as equivalent to replacing nearly 63,000 cars annually on the country's roads.

Gas is reaching through pipes to more than a crore households. The country is also working on the goal that in the next few years, more than 75 per cent of the households in the country will get piped gas.