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Helsinki: Even as the
whole of India is up in arms at the hike in the diesel price, new
technology offers hope of a cheaper alternative by refining
agricultural waste and using it to generate fuel.
Chempolis, a Finnish company, has developed the technology that
could go a long way in solving the fuel crisis, called the third
generation or 3G biorefining technology. India, with its
increasing population and dependence on imported fossil energy
sources, offers a huge market for this product.
"We are negotiating for cooperation with Indian companies to
establish commercial scale biorefinery projects in India," Paula
Paananen, Chempolis's director for environment and communications,
told a visiting IANS correspondent here.
The company has patented biorefining technologies to refine
residual agricultural biomasses into high quality products,
including fuel, while minimising, what it claimed, environmental
impact, and maximising social benefits.
According to Pasi Rousu, president of Chempolis Asia-Pacific, the
technology has huge business potential in India as the country has
a wealth of biomasses that could be used more efficiently, bagasse
(the fibrous matter that remains after sugarcane, for instance, is
crushed) and straws having the most potential.
Stating that the need for renewable energy, both transportation
fuel and electricity, is very large in India, Rousu said in a
statement: "If only 30 percent of straws and bagasse is utilised,
there is potential for profitable biorefining of 120 million
tonnes per annum of straws and bagasse into 40 million tonnes of
bioethanol, biodiesel and biochemicals. This equals 200-600
biorefineries while the production could replace completely
gasoline by ethanol and reduce imports of crude oil by more than
25 percent."
According to Paananen, setting up a biorefinery costs anywhere
between 30 and 40 million euros (approixately Rs. 200 crore, at
least).
"Fifteen to 50 million tonnes of ethanol can be produced in a year
by one biorefinery," she said, adding that carbon dioxide
emissions can be reduced by 50 million tonnes a year.
Asked where in India she saw the most potential for the
technology, she said: "We have identified Punjab, Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as ideal for
Chempolis techonology-based biorefineries."
According to Paananen, India's minister for new and renewable
energy, Farooq Abdullah, had shown keen interest in the technology
during a visit to the company plant at Oulu in Finland in 2011.
"The minister has, in fact, invited Chempolis to meet him in
India," she said, adding that her company is planning commercial
biorefinry production in India by setting up a subsidiary.
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