Atul Mulay, Chairperson, Bioenergy Committee of Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE) & President BioEnergy, Praj Industries

Praj Industries is India’s leading company in the field of bio-based technologies and engineering with presence all over the world. Praj is a globally leading company with a bouquet of sustainable solutions for bioenergy, high purity water, critical process equipment, breweries and industrial wastewater treatment. In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Atul Mulay, Chairperson, Bioenergy Committee of Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE) & President BioEnergy, Praj Industries takes us through India’s bioenergy initiatives to achieve the target of net zero by 2070 and latest innovations and technologies in bioenergy sector. Edited excerpts:

How is Praj Industries contributing to the growth of the bioenergy sector through its new technologies and innovations?

At Praj, we don’t just look at bioenergy as a business vertical—we see it as a national capability. The way we see it, the transition to a low-carbon economy isn’t only about fuels. It’s about building an entire ecosystem that spans feedstock, technology, and end-use readiness.

The aviation sector is the next big frontier. We’ve developed the alcohol-to-jet pathway and are building out commercial-scale SAF building blocks—this was demonstrated in India’s first commercial flight using indigenous SAF: AirAsia India’s flight i5-767 from Pune to New Delhi, powered by SAF produced by Praj in partnership with IOCL, received by Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas in May 2023. Further reinforcing our leadership, in January 2024, Puri inaugurated Praj’s SAF demonstration facility at our R&D Center in Pune, confirming our readiness to scale.

Through Praj Matrix – our R&D Centre, we’re constantly pushing the boundaries of industrial biotechnology. We’re not stopping at biofuels. For example, our biobitumen technology was recently used to construct India’s first national highway stretch using lignin-based bio-bitumen on NH-44 at Mansar, Nagpur, inaugurated by Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways. Bio-bitumen blending has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 70 per cent compared to fossil bitumen, while also demonstrating long-term durability through harsh monsoons.

India’s first Demonstration Facility for Biopolymers at Jejuri near Pune was inaugurated on October 13, 2024 by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (IC), Ministry of Science & Technology. Praj has indigenously developed technology for producing Polylactic Acid (PLA), a sustainable alternative to fossilbased plastics.

This milestone highlights how homegrown innovation can shape the future of India’s bio-based economy. Building on this, we’re also exploring other renewable chemicals and materials that can replace fossil-derived products in packaging, roads, and industry. This is where the future is headed: biorefineries as integrated hubs, producing not just energy, but also sustainable materials.

And to tie it all together, we’ve launched Praj BioVerse—it’s a movement to consolidate the entire ecosystem and drive collective action. With Praj BioVerse, we attempt to bring together technology providers, feedstock experts, OEMs, certification bodies, and policy think tanks to fast-track adoption. By partnering with institutions like VSI (for agronomy and feedstock), ARAI (for vehicle and engine readiness), agri-tech innovators, and progressive OEM players, Praj is leading a movement to accelerate India’s transition to a low-carbon, circular bioeconomy.

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