India Biomass Energy

Biomass has been a key player in energy generation even in the past. Due to the dominance of coal and petroleum products in the industrial age there was a fall in biomass usage. Anyway, in India, though the energy scenario in India today indicates a growing dependence on the conventional forms of energy, about 32% of the total primary energy use is still using biomass and more than 70% of the country’s population depends upon it for its energy needs.
This section provides status of and trends in India Biomass Energy .

Historical capacity & consumption data

Total ethanol production
53 million gallons of fuel ethanol (2007 data), 502 million gallons of total ethanol(2006 data). Ethanol production of India is likely to attain a CAGR of slightly over 2% during the period 2008-2017. Increased ethanol use is expected to supersede the production during the forecasted period. Domestic ethanol consumption in India is projected to expand at a CAGR of around 6.5% during 2008-2017.
Annual World Ethanol Production by Country
(Millions of Gallons, All ethanol Grades)

Country 2004 2005 2006
Brazil
3,989
4,227
4,491
U.S.
3,535
4.264
4,855
China
964
1,004
1,017
India
462
449
502
France
219
240
251
Russia
198
198
171
South Africa
110
103
102
U.K.
106
92
74
Saudi Arabia
79
32
52
Spain
79
93
122
Thailand
74
79
93
Germany
71
114
202
Ukraine
66
65
71
Canada
61
61
153
Poland
53
58
66
Indonesia
44
45
45
Argentina
42
44
45
Italy
40
40
43
Australia
33
33
39
Japan
31
30
30
Pakistan
26
24
24
Sweden
26
29
30
Philippines
22
22
22
South Korea
22
17
16
Guatemala
17
17
21
Cuba
16
12
12
Ecuador
12
14
12
Mexico
9
12
13
Nicaragua
8
7
8
Mauritius
6
3
2
Zimbabwe
6
5
7
Kenya
3
4
5
Swaziland
3
3
5
Others
338
710
270
Total
10,770
12,150
13,489


Source: F.O. Licht, www.ethanolrfa.org/industry/statistics/

Total biodiesel production

India's total biodiesel requirement is projected to grow to 3.6 Million Metric Tons in 2011-12, with the positive performance of the domestic automobile industry.
Biodiesel Production (thousand tonnes)

Country 2006
Germany2,681
France775
Italy857
Malaysia600
USA826
Czech Republic203
Poland150
Austria134
Slovakia89
Spain224
Denmark81
UK445
Other EU430
Total7990


Source: European Biodiesel Board, Malaysian Palm Oil Board National Biodiesel Board , USA http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/924080-y8ATDg/924080.PDF

Large biodiesel refineries in India

India's first biodiesel plant started production in Kakinada, a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The facility, owned by Naturol Bioenergy, is expected to produce 30 million gallons of biodiesel per year obtained from Jatropha and using Belgian technology - Oct 2007
AE Biofuels Inc., an energy company that is developing and constructing biodiesel and ethanol facilities worldwide, has completed the construction of a biodiesel facility with a nameplate capacity of 50 million gallons per year located in Kakinada, India, and has commenced the construction of a glycerin refinery adjacent to the biodiesel facility - Jan 2008.

Barriers

  • Biomass produces greenhouse emissions.
  • It takes considerable energy to produce biofuels from certain feedstock, resulting in less than desirable energy returns on energy invested (EROEI).
  • Biomass collection is difficult.
  • Biomass crops not available all year.
  • Still an expensive source, both in terms of producing the biomass and converting it to alcohols
  • On a small scale there is most likely a net loss of energy--energy must be put in to grow the plant mass


Biofuel companies

  • India Biofuels Corporation (IBFC)
    • India Biofuels Corporation (IBFC) is a biofuels company that is working in partnership with the Indian National Mission on biofuels to bring more than one million hectares of rural wasteland under full-scale commercial biofuels production in the next 10 years.
  • Jayex Biofuel Processing Technology Pvt Ltd
    • Jayex Biofuel Processing Technology Pvt Ltd is engaged in setting up continuous processing biodiesel plants, is located in Pune, Maharashtra
  • India Biofuels Company
    • The India Biofuels Company aims to build a world class commercial biofuels company in India in the coming decade. IBFC believes there is a real and necessary opportunity to develop a large-scale biofuels industry in India.

Biodiesel companies

  • Mission Biofuels India Pvt. Ltd.
    • Mission NewEnergy Limited is a global renewable energy provider with operations in Australia, Malaysia, India, and Mauritius. Their biodiesel refineries are located at Kuantan Port in Malaysia. Currently operating a 100,000 tonne per annum biodiesel facility, Mission's second refinery adjacent to the first facility will be completed early 2009 providing for a combined capacity of 350,000 tonnes of biodiesel per annum. Mission has a well-developed upstream feedstock business in India, focused on the use of Jatropha Curcas, a non-food, drought resistant crop.
  • Labland Biodiesel
    • Labland Biodiesel is a Mysore based Private Limited Company. Since the year 2002, the company is active in biodiesel and Jatropha curcas-based research and development activities. The company's main emphasis has been developing improved and newer varieties of Jatropha curcas needed for successful energy plantation globally.
  • Naturol Bioenergy Limited
    • 'Naturol Bioenergy Limited' was incorporated in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India to promote the state-of-the-art Integrated Oleochemical Complex at the port town of Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. Their focus is to promote an environmentally friendly range of biodiesel and allied products with an envisaged capacity of 100,000 tonnes per year.
  • Praj Industries Limited
    • Praj is a global Indian company that offers innovative solutions to significantly add value in bio-ethanol, bio-diesel, brewery plants and process equipment & systems for customers, worldwide.

Biomass Energy research centres

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) In TERI the research areas in biomass energy include

  • Adding value to coir pith waste by making into biomass ongoing project
  • Reducing GHG emissions by promoting bioenergy technologies for heat completed project

Ethanol research centres

School Of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University conducts research on Zymomonas mobilis, an unique bacterium producing ethanol.

Biodiesel research centres

  • Delhi College of Engineering
    • Delhi College of Engineering,Engineering has carried out advanced level research in propagation of petro-plants, their improved agro-practices, development of indigenous biodiesel production technology, design and development of small to medium capacity biodiesel processing unit, setting up quality assurance facility of biodiesel and field trial of biodiesel in diesel engines and vehicles.
  • ICRISAT
    • The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is a nonprofit, non-political organization that does innovative agricultural research and capacity building for sustainable development with a wide array of partners across the globe. ICRISAT belongs to the alliance of centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICRISAT’s strategy is two-pronged: one, by developing sweet sorghum varieties, hybrid parents and hybrids in partnership with National Research Systems (NARS); and two, by facilitating the private sector to incubate ethanol production technology through the Agri-Business Incubator (ABI), the technology commercialization wing of ICRISAT.
  • Dr. MGR Algae Biofuel Research Center
    • Dr. MGR Algae Biofuel Research Center is located in Sivakasi, Tamilnadu. It is engaged in jatropha plantation in Tamilnadu. The company has launched a biodiesel project from micro algae. One hectare land in Sivakasi is selected to do research on algae biofuel. Two ongoing ventures are Dr MGR Jatropha Biodiesel Project, and a private ltd. company based in New Delhi by the name of T. Shivaleekha Biotech Private Ltd.
  • Mission Biofuels India Private Limited (“MBIPL”)
    • Mission Biofuels India Private Limited (“MBIPL”) a subsidiary of Mission NewEnergy Limited was established in March 2007 for the upstream Jatropha Curcas feedstock business and wind energy projects. Mission Biofuels India Private Limited is involved in a large scale cultivation of Jatropha Curcas as well as nurseries and procurement centres in several states of India. Mission Biofuels partnerships with the leading Jatropha research centre - The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), to implement optimum planting cultivation technologies and ensure highest yields are achieved.
  • The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)
    • The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) --the premier industrial R&D organization in India was constituted in 1942 by a resolution of the then Central Legislative Assembly. It is an autonomous body registered under the Registration of Societies Act of 1860.CSIR aims to provide industrial competitiveness, social welfare, strong S&T base for strategic sectors and advancement of fundamental knowledge. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in India (CSIR) has shown that the Pongam Tree (Indian Beach) can also be used as a diesel equivalent.

Apex bodies