On the occasion of World Biofuels Day (10th Aug), Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the first of its kind & Asia’s First 2G Ethanol Bio-Refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) at Panipat Haryana. Praj is a technology licensor and EPCM partner for this landmark project. This project is based on Praj’s proprietary technology processing Rice Straw as feedstock for the production of Ethanol.
While dedicating 2G Ethanol Bio-Refinery to the nation, PM Modi said,” Biofuel for us means green fuel, environment-saving fuel. With the establishment of this modern plant, farmers of Haryana, where Rice and wheat are grown in abundance, will get another lucrative means of using crop residue. Farmers will now feel the pride of contributing to the production of biofuel and nation building.”
Spanning across 35 acres, this 2G Ethanol Bio-Refinery is capable of processing 2 lakh tonnes of rice straw annually to generate around 3 crore liters of Ethanol using Praj’s proprietary technology. While benefiting more than 1 lac farmers, this Bio-Refinery is expected to create around 1500 jobs for rural youth. Importantly, it will help address the major challenge of stubble burning-related pollution by eliminating around 320,000 MT of CO2 every year which is equivalent to replacing nearly 63,000 cars on road annually. This 2G Bio-Refinery alone will save foreign exchange worth INR 55 – 60 crores every year that is otherwise incurred on fuel imports. This project will give a boost to the Make in India initiative & help achieve 20% ethanol blending.
Praj’s indigenously developed ‘enfinityTM’ technology processes different agricultural residues to produce a variety of products including Bioethanol, Lignosulphonates, and Bio-bitumen with the highest efficiencies. Praj has optimized the project’s CAPEX and OPEX by harnessing design & engineering capabilities along with four decades of experience in the Bioeconomy.
Speaking about this historical achievement, Dr. Pramod Chaudhari, Founder, and Chairman of Praj said, “We are very proud of our association with IOCL to set up this coveted project. This plant is a huge milestone in realizing Hon. Prime Minister’s vision of energy independent India. We believe the success of this project reinforces India’s technology leadership in the global Bioeconomy. On foothills of this success, SKY is the limit for biofuels, literally.”
The commissioning of the Bio-Refinery has begun in the 1st week of August 2022 and commercial production of 2G Ethanol will commence within 90 days.
Along with this project, Praj is also setting up similar projects for Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Bhatinda, Punjab, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Bargarh, Orissa.