By: ICN Bureau
Last updated : December 10, 2025 12:14 pm
The initiative aims to build India’s first pilot-scale BIO-CCU platform specifically engineered for next-generation CO₂ valorization
Organic Recycling Systems Limited (ORSL), a Mumbai-based pioneer in sustainable waste management, has been awarded a prestigious research grant under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) Joint Call on Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU).
This landmark initiative, a collaboration with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Bombay and IIT Kharagpur, positions ORSL as the first Indian company to receive the grant in the CCU domain under the BioE3 Policy for High Performance Biomanufacturing.
The initiative aims to build India’s first pilot-scale BIO-CCU platform specifically engineered for next-generation CO₂ valorization, a move designed to bolster the nation's burgeoning Compressed Biogas (CBG) industry.
This technology presents a significant commercial opportunity for India's rapidly expanding CBG market. Current industry practices often involve venting or flaring significant volumes of purified CO₂ due to the absence of viable utilization pathways.
The new ORSL CCU platform will transform this wasted CO₂ into valuable commercial products, including bio-alcohols, specialty chemicals, nutritional supplements, and industrial additives. This innovation is set to create crucial new revenue streams and substantially improve the economic viability of biogas plants.
The collaborative project, formally titled “Integrating Biotechnological Interventions to Capture and Utilize CO₂ from Biogas via Algal Cultivation and Photocatalytic Conversion to Mixed Alcohols,” will be implemented over 24 months at the ORSL Research Innovation Centre (RIC) in Navi Mumbai. The total project cost is estimated at Rs. 187.17 lakh.
Sarang Bhand, Managing Director, ORSL, said, “This project marks an important milestone for India’s bioenergy and carbon circularity landscape. To meet the interim targeted goal of 45% reduction in carbon intensity in the Indian economy by 2030, it is mission critical to step-up the R&D initiatives in both public and private domains. Academic and Industrial collaborations will ensure that the technology development life-cycle for novel and innovative carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies can be reduced considerably and successful POC’s by some of the best brains working in the academic space can be aided for pilot demonstrations and can be scaled-up to commercial applications by the Industrial partners. The IITB, IITKgp and ORSL collaboration is the first step in this direction with an intent to bring forth and demonstrate some novel technologies in the CCU and clean-tech space. The recent BIRAC grant to the consortium under the prestigious BioE3 program is going to be pivotal in redefining how we manage and valorise biogenic CO2 through cost effective sustainable processes.”
Dr. Manju Tanwar, Chief Scientist and Head R&D, ORSL (Principal Investigator), added, “This project integrates frontier biotechnology, algal engineering, and MXene based photo catalysis in a way not previously demonstrated at this scale in India. Our goal is to build a near zero CO₂ emission biogas platform that can set a new national benchmark for CCUS in the Waste to Energy sector.”
Prof. Dr. Indrajit Chakraborty, IIT Bombay, commented, “Advanced photo bioreactor based CO₂ fixation offers a high impact route for sustainable carbon utilization. This collaboration enables the development of a robust and replicable model for India’s growing energy infrastructure.”
Prof. Dr. Koustuv Ray, IIT Kharagpur, noted, “Selective photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into mixed alcohols holds significant potential for future bio refineries and green chemical manufacturing. The multidisciplinary approach of this project is essential for advancing India’s climate relevant technologies.”
This ground-breaking BIO-CCU initiative directly supports India’s strategic missions related to achieving net-zero emissions, fostering a circular carbon economy, promoting 'waste to wealth' pathways, and enabling scalable and sustainable biomanufacturing across the country.