Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated India’s First Integrated Bio-refinery for Renewable Fuels & Chemicals for producing ethanol from varied biomass.
The plant is based at Rahu in Pune district of Maharashtra. The demonstration plant has been constructed by Praj industries.
The inaugurated Bio-refinery plant is capable of producing 1 million litres of ethanol per annum by processing a variety of biomass like rice and wheat straw, cane trash, corn cobs, cotton stalk, bagasse, & stover with superior product yields.
In the year 2015, the GoI has asked Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to target 10 % blending of ethanol in as many States as possible.
The fuel doping programme that required blending of 5% ethanol had started in November 2012. It was notified under the Motor Spirits Act on January 2, 2013.
The Government has also permitted the OMCs to procure ethanol produced from other non-food feedstocks, like cellulosic and lignocellulosic materials including petrochemical route.
Biofuels: Know More- Ethanol blending is the practice of blending petrol with ethanol.
- Internationally many countries including India, have resorted to ethanol blending to reduce vehicle exhaust emissions
- The inauguration of the refinery paves the way for increasing 20% ethanol blending program and can reduce the import burden of crude petroleum.
- Biofuels are fuels which are derived from biomass.
- The term covers solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases and also denotes Biodiesel, Bio-alcohol and bio-gasoline.
- The most well known Biofuel crops include Sunflower seeds, Wheat, Sugarbeet, Cassava, Algae, Coconut, Jojoba, Castor Beans, Corn, Rapeseed/Canola, Sugarcane, Palm Oil, Jatropha, Soyabean, Cottonseed.
