The Indian farming sector is often subjected to vagaries of nature and volatile market prices, says Samir Somaiya, CMD, Godavari Biorefineries Ltd. as he shares his perspective on how biofuels could benefit the agriculture stakeholders.

“Both the food and fuel can help in improving cash flow of our smallholder farmers, giving them a stable livelihood. At the same time, the provision of optionality for producers works well for farmers as well. We diverted more than 25% of our sugarcane into the ethanol production, as we used the optionality. Whether we use sugarcane or any other feedstock, energy security is driven by farmers. Even the solar energy involves photosynthesis and feedstock is coming from renewable sources. Again it is going to the farmers. In the backdrop of climatic change witnessed by the whole world, ethanol has emerged as a sustainable fuel. It has its set of challenges but the low carbon footprint makes it viable," said Samir Somaiya.

Somaiya spoke alongside other leading stalwarts on World Biofuel Day E-conference on "Promotion of Biofuels for a Better Environment" organized by the Indian Chemical News (ICN). The virtual event was moderated by Pravin Prashant, Editor, Indian Chemical News.

“There was a time when the Ethanol price was just based on C Molasses, as the feedstock options were limited,'' says Milind S. Patke, Former Executive Director - Biofuels, BPCL.

Patke explains, “Now there are different categories of feedstock whose prices are reviewed post the month of August every year. Yet the challenge is that while the quality of the final ethanol product is the same, the prices are different. Therefore, the uniform pricing of blending material is necessary to achieve the biofuel targets. Another issue is that Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are producing maximum Ethanol while all other states require it as well. To ensure uniformity, it needs to be made available throughout the length and breadth of the country. With petrol prices increasing with each passing day, we have a 500 crore litres requirement by 2023-25. To reach that figure is a challenge and we need speedy approval of the projects by the authorities. Removing the uncertainty on feedstock availability is important for 2G ethanol.”

“There are two modes of transport that would primarily emerge as a destination for biofuels. One is air mode and another is surface mode. As the petrol prices go up, the demand for sustainable fuels will increase. The airline industry will have to adapt to such fuels sooner or later. The situation will evolve not only for surface and air but marine transport as well, as it would also need to switch to affordable and clean fuels. Given the growth, we will see a lot of starchy feedstock. As a company, we are already using the grain based cellulosic feedstock. In the near future, we will witness the emergence of new feedstock options and technological evolution to make them viable," says Shishir Joshipura, CEO & MD, Praj Industries Ltd.

Global energy markets are witnessing a never seen before transformational change, says Adnan Ahmad, VC & MD, Clariant India while referring to the increasingly encouraging policies to tackle greenhouse emissions across the world including India.

“The Sunliquid process developed by Clariant meets all the requirements of a technically and economically efficient, innovative process for converting agricultural residues into climate-friendly biofuel. It is a prime example of a circular economy as the feedstock is natural. Instead of bringing enzymes from outside, these are produced in-situ, reducing the timelines and cost. The pre-treatment is chemical free and thermal in nature, again helping us to reduce the cost. No doubt such technologies make us competitive in the market,” informs Ahmed who believes that the government must keep future generations in mind and lend its support to build more plants, providing enough room for growth,” mentions Ahmed.

“In Brazil, we started our efforts for sustainable energy in the 70s and it really wasn’t driven by climate change but high oil prices. We didn't have high-end technology at that time but the transformation helped us later. We devised our own solutions as we weren't able to import any technologies from abroad, Prof. Goncalo Pereira, Full Professor and Coordinator, Genomics and Bioenergy Laboratory, UNICAMP who feels that countries must be realistic in their blending goals.

Pereira stresses on putting the entire value together to develop second generation biofuel. “If we use the correct technology, we can have better output and yield. Ethanol is an excellent fuel with clean combustion. It is a liquid molecule and has a lot of hydrogen. Electrons in the molecule can help in creating electricity. We must look at developing bio-electricity and for that, development of ethanol motors and fuel cells could provide solutions. We need development of fuel cells for batteries for electrification.”

“The Indian government has already set the roadmap for Ethanol blending and to make it a reality, both biomass and feedstock are important. There was a time when mustard straw was considered a complete waste material but now we have converted it into fuel. Earlier the rice or mustard based feedstock had no buyers but now there is scarcity,” says Cyrus Engineer, Director, Industrial Boilers Ltd.

Talking about the USPs of the solutions offered by his company, Engineer points out how it could design not only the entire plant but also the necessary ecosystem. “The whole mixing and matching of boilers and turbine technology is done at one place. Except us, there is no technology provider that can offer such a gamut of technologies under a single roof,” concludes Engineer.