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HomePosts Tagged "agri-waste"
Agribusiness, Agrotech, Biofuel industry, Company News, Environment, India, Start ups, Sustainability

Over 40+ units of balers, rakers, slashers and tractor trollies are deployed at BiofuelCircle’s Ramnagar Biomass Bank in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh.

 BiofuelCircle, strengthened its commitment to empower rural India for generating wealth from agri-waste at an event ‘Parali Se Ujjawal Bhavishya’, held at the Ramnagar Biomass BankTM in  Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. BiofuelCircle enables a participative ecosystem at rural level. It deployed a fleet of 40+ digitally networked machines, including balers, rakers, and slashers procured from Maschio Gaspardo, a global agricultural equipment provider, to drive streamline field clearing for farmers and by farmers while mitigating the environmental hazards of traditional farming methods and creating biomass entrepreneurship at the same time.

The event saw participation from over 100 farmers and industry partners. This initiative forms part of BiofuelCircle’s mission to establish Biomass Banks locally which are rural enterprises that aggregate stubble (Parali) in the region, where an estimated 30,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) of stubble will be collected from 25,000 acres of farmland, involving 5,000 farmers across 30+ villages in Uttar Pradesh.  The machine fleet on the ground is an enabler for locals to create enterprises around parali collection, transport and storage. The farmers can rent their tractors on BiofuelCircle platform, become equipment operators and generate additional earning opportunities through the parali season. The locally setup warehouses offer year-round employment opportunities. This is only start of the season and more locations across India will follow suit.

While presiding over the event, Manish Kapoor, Vice President, BiofuelCircle said, “We are excited to introduce the first large-scale deployment of modern farm-clearing equipment in Barabanki. This is a first of its kind’s initiative in India. This will ensure efficient and timely clearing of farmlands. By deploying fleet, state-of-the-art farm clearing machines, we will save 30,000 MT of stubble from being burned, while also creating new economic opportunities for local farmers for better livelihood. We have also set up three Biomass Banks with three warehouses in Barabanki alone, creating dedicated biomass supply chains for Compressed BioGas (CBG) plants, powered by BioFuelCircle’s digital platform and its Biomass Bank model.”

Suhas Baxi, Co-Founder and CEO, BiofuelCircle shares, “The greatest challenge has been the efficient collection and timely clearing of stubble from farms which leads farmers to try alternate methods which are not environment friendly. With the use of telematics, GPS, and state-of-the art cloud-based platform, we are creating an organized framework for collection, logistics and storage management at scale. With these technology enablers, we are engaging with 150 locals as tractor drivers, fleet operators, supervisors with assured business activities and over 200 laborers. We are ensuring rural participation and driving local entrepreneurship around biomass activities.”

BiofuelCircle is pioneering the establishment of dedicated biomass supply chains for Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants through its innovative digital platform-enabled Biomass Bank model. BiofuelCircle’s initiative not only mitigates the environmental impact of stubble burning but also contributes to rural economic activity by creating a more structured and sustainable biomass supply chain that is also participative and inclusive. The company’s efforts are a testament to its commitment to fostering sustainable agricultural practices while ensuring the economic empowerment of farmers.

Over 40+ units of balers, rakers, slashers

Biofuel industry, India, Interaction

Suhas Baxi, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BiofuelCircle shares his view on the biomass supply chain with AgroSpectrum in an exclusive interview.

A cloud-based platform, the BiofuelCircle Marketplace links supply chain participants in rural areas with industry. Businesses are able to tap into a previously unregulated market for verified local biomass and biofuel providers. Suppliers of biomass and biofuels, in turn, are able to network with potential customers ranging in size from individuals to corporations. In a recent test auction on the BioFuelCircle platform, NTPC Limited successfully sold biomass pellets to NTPC Mouda. Suhas Baxi, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BiofuelCircle shares his view on the biomass supply chain with AgroSpectrum in an exclusive interview.

In what ways do you think allied industries will use agri-waste in the future? How much agri-waste does India produce each year, and what percentage of that has been put to use by allied industries?

Every year, farms in an agricultural nation like India produce at least 235 million metric tonnes of extra agricultural residue. This amounts to around 25 per cent of India’s oil imports, which is the same as 125 million MT of coal or 600 million barrels of crude oil. When used in its entirety, this agricultural waste has the ability to provide 17 per cent of the nation’s energy demands, provide farmers with a new revenue stream, and boost employment opportunities in both rural and urban areas. The potential biomass market in our nation is large enough to fuel an economy worth forty billion dollars. But for a variety of reasons, over 70 per cent ends up in the trash or burned.

We must set up a whole farm-to-fuel ecosystem if we want to make the most of this opportunity. Coordinating and empowering all parties involved in the biomass supply chain would necessitate tremendous effort, considering the precarious nature of the rural-industrial connection. 

Could you please list the most significant obstacles in turning agri-waste into a high-quality product or service?

Research of India’s agricultural biomass sector reveals that inefficient supply chains are to blame for the country’s pollution and wasting problems.  Aggregation becomes more challenging when rural resources are fragmented, meaning that land holdings are tiny and dispersed. While biomass is needed continuously, it is only available for a short period of time each year during harvests. Logistics and storage costs are very high, which is another big problem. One more thing hurting the already-suffering rural suppliers: they can’t reach industrial buyers directly.

How is the government supporting companies which are working in recycling agricultural waste into a viable product?

This industry has been designated as a priority sector for loans by the government of India. Several programmes have been established by the Ministry of Oil and Natural Gas and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. There is a demand for start-up capital in the biomass supply chain, biomass aggregation and processing, and bioenergy refineries. Providing tools is simply one part of the approach. Here is an area where the public and private sectors, in addition to the government, are working together to accomplish both short-term goals and long-term objectives.  As part of our Local Markets mechanism for the supply chain of biomass, we are collaborating with MNRE to establish biomass businesses in rural areas.

How technology can be the game changer in this drive of converting agri-waste to a formidable product?

A few million farmers, seasonal supplies, small rural businesses, round the year industrial demand and service providers for transport, quality, finance etc make for an interesting use case for digitalisation. To top it, traceability of biomass from its origin to its end use will create a reliable framework for carbon neutrality. Along the way, one also needs to address issues associated with incentivization, price discovery, standardisation, and supply reliability.

While applications such as food delivery, transport services etc which have a consumer end use have become popular, for biomass one needs a platform that makes it easy for millions of farmers to participate, while providing a robust framework for industries too. All this requires a strong technological connection which has to be coupled with a skilled and hardworking team. The biomass supply chain is still at a very early stage. We currently use about 20 per cent of the available Agri-residue biomass. At its maturity, the biomass product supply chain has a potential to be more than 40 billion US$ in annual turnover. The opportunity is for us to put a strong digital technology framework that creates ease, efficiency, reliability, and choice.

What inputs are required for the growth of the biomass sector in India?

Technology, legislation, finance, and infrastructure are all important parts of the puzzle when it comes to expanding India’s biomass industry. Spending on research and development to enhance processing, conversion, and yield of biomass feedstock is one major requirement. Another area of focus is in-depth research into improved harvesting methods and the creation of disease-resistant biomass crops with increased yields. Cooperation with development organisations and international financial institutions for the purpose of obtaining financial and technical support can further support this industry. Biomass production and usage training sessions for technicians, farmers, and other business people can help in maintaining a healthy supply chain. Coordinated efforts across these many inputs are crucial to the success of India’s biomass sector. India can fully utilise biomass energy to promote energy security, rural development, and environmental sustainability by attending to technical, financial, infrastructure, human resource, and environmental concerns.

What are the growth strategies and plans of BiofuelCircle for FY 24-25?

The BiofuelCircle is working on an entrepreneurial approach to help FPOs and farmers increase their bioenergy capacity. They are receiving advice from MNRE, GIZ, and BAIF. Through its internet platform, BiofuelCircle has offered a new idea for a rural business: a Biomass Bank. This bank would help with collecting, aggregating, transporting, and processing biomass for green energy. Buyers and sellers of biomass and biofuels can use BiofuelCircle’s digital platform to find commodity- and region-specific prices, as well as to trade online at market-driven prices. A more transparent and predictable pricing structure encourages investments in storage and opens up financing opportunities in the bio-energy sector. Such linked regional marketplaces are the basis of the BiofuelCircle concept.

                                                                                           By Nitin Konde

Suhas Baxi, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Agrotech, Industry Reports / Analysis

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) statistics show that annually India generates about 500 million tonnes of agricultural and agro-industrial leftovers.  Numerous initiatives are now being taken to minimise and convert this agricultural waste into various types of products and services. As things are changing for the better, although at a slow pace, let’s take this up with a few industry insiders who can shine some light on this pressing issue.

Human endeavours have scaled new heights in all spheres of ‘civilisational’ comforts and scientific advancement, including growing resilient and high-yielding crops. Agricultural activity has reached the zenith of modern food cultivation potential. Yet, one common thread of these endeavours is the sheer volume of waste generated. Agriculture and allied industries, too, are bogged down by this. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) statistics show that annually India generates about 500 million tonnes of agricultural and agro-industrial leftovers.   According to a recent media report, between 16 and 17 million metric tonnes (MMT) of grains are lost each year due to inefficient food management systems. Unscientific grain harvesting and storage practices are mostly to blame for this problem. The same holds true for the massive wastage of fresh fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products every year due to antiquated   storage, transport and distribution methods. However, numerous initiatives are now being taken to minimise and convert this agricultural waste into various types of products and services. As things are changing for the better, although at a slow pace, let’s take this up with a few industry insiders who can shine some light on this pressing issue.

According to projections made by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, this agri waste has the potential to generate more than 18,000 MW of electricity annually in addition to producing green fertiliser for agricultural use.  When looking at just one crop, potatoes, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) found that the global annual waste is over 12 MMT, with 2 MMT coming from India. The Government of India launched its flagship “Swachh Bharat Mission” in 2014, and in response, the ICAR  issued a clarion appeal for serious work on agricultural waste and its conversion into products that are valuable for humans, animals, and farm land.

Commenting on this move, Suhas Baxi, Co-founder & CEO, BiofuelCircle said, “In an agrarian country like India, every year, there is a minimum of 235 MMT of surplus agri-residue available in the farms. This is equivalent to 125 MMT of coal or 600 million barrels of crude oil, which is nearly 25 per cent of India’s oil imports. 100 per cent utilisation of this surplus crop residue can potentially lead to providing 17 per cent of a country’s energy needs, creating additional sources of income for farmers and creation of jobs in rural and industrial sectors. The biomass opportunity in our country is big enough to potentially power a $40 billion economy. However, more than 70 per cent gets burnt or wasted due to a combination of reasons.”

To make the most of this chance, a comprehensive farm-to-fuel ecosystem should be set up. In light of the precarious nature of the link between rural and industrial areas, this would necessitate massive efforts to organise and empower all participants in the biomass supply chain.

Govt backing 

The Indian government has designated this market as a high-priority sector for financial assistance. Several programmes have been established by the Oil and Natural Gas Ministry and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. It is believed that enterprises involved in the biomass supply chain, biomass aggregation, processing, and bio energy refining all require seed funding to get off the ground. Just supplying resources isn’t the whole point of this strategy. Here’s an area where public and private actors, as well as the government, are all working together to advance short- and long-term goals.

All viable technologies for recovering energy in the form of Biogas/BioCNG/Electricity from renewable sources like municipal solid wastes, vegetable and other market wastes, slaughterhouse waste, agricultural residues, and industrial/STP wastes & effluents are being actively promoted by the Ministry.

On converting biomass into energy, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) stated that Biogas is produced through the process of biomethanation, which is the anaerobic digestion of organic matter. Biogas produced through anaerobic digestion (AD) consists primarily of methane (60 per cent), carbon dioxide (40 per cent), and other gases; the process requires no free oxygen. Biomethanisation is advantageous in two ways. As a byproduct, you get biogas as well as manure.

Wastes from restaurants, canteens, institutions, hotels, slaughterhouses, and vegetable markets are only some of the organic wet wastes that can benefit from this technology’s decentralised use for biodegradation.

The biogas produced by the biomethanation process can be used to create electricity by being burned in a gas engine or by being used in a gas boiler/burner for thermal application industries and home use. Alternatively, carbon dioxide and other contaminants can be removed from the biogas before it is used to make BioCNG. This can be used as a fuel for cars or injected into the national gas system to replace natural gas.

About 25-29 kgs of cattle manure can be converted into one cubic metre of biogas via the biomethanation process, and that volume of biogas has the capacity to produce two units of electricity or 0.4 kg of BioCNG.

“We ourselves are working with MNRE to set up rural biomass enterprises as a part of our Local Markets mechanism for the biomass supply chain,” added Baxi.

To read more click on: https://agrospectrumindia.com/e-magazine

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy