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A few days after the Centre made its announcement BioE3 policy to promote biotechnology-led manufacturing The Department of Biotechnology in India is considering — as an initial step — setting up enzyme-manufacturing facilities to boost ethanol production, according to scientists and officials of the Department of Biotechnology.
The first such plant is likely to come up in Manesar in Haryana and will likely be a supplier for the proposed 2G bio-ethanol plants at Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Bhatinda (Punjab) and the existing plant at Panipat. Among other things, the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) policy approved by the Union Cabinet last week aims to set up ‘bio-foundries’ that will produce feedstocks and catalysts developed by biotechnology.
Niti Aayog estimates that India will need about 13.5 billion litres of ethanol annually by 2025-26. Of this, about 10.16 billion litres will be spent on meeting the E20 fuel-blending mandate. ‘2G’ or second-generation bioethanol is ethanol made from rice straw, while the traditional method is made from jaggery (sugarcane).
In 2022, Indian Oil Corporation Limited set up a first-of-its-kind 2G ethanol plant in Panipat, which uses rice stubble as feedstock – the burning of which contributes to pollution in north India. The plant is theoretically capable of producing 1,00,000 litres of ethanol per day, running at 30% capacity and requires 1,50,000 – 2,00,000 tonnes of rice straw per year, generated at the end of the sowing period in September-October.
However, a blend of enzymes and proper treatment process is a crucial component to convert stubble into ethanol. As of today, these enzymes are imported and constitute a significant part of the cost of the 2G-ethanol production process, said Dr Ramesh Sonthi, director, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). “We have developed enzymes that are better than those currently used for ethanol production in Panipat. We have been able to show its effectiveness in producing 15,000 litres of ethanol and are looking to scale it up,” Mr Sonthi said.
Maharashtra-based Praj Industries, a leading industrial biotechnology company, is a technology licensor of enzymes from Danish biotechnology company Novozymes. This, along with Praj’s “proprietary technology” (treatment), powers the ethanol refining plant in Panipat, according to a 2022 press release.
ICGEB senior scientist Dr Shams Yazdani, whose research group developed the enzymes, said, “We are working with Praj right now and they have tested our enzyme and said it is as good as the enzyme they use. They are going to work with us on techno-economic analysis as well as building the plants.” Though it is early days yet, the first step is to be able to produce at least 20,000 litres of ethanol in Panipat using the ICGEB-Praj processes.
The enzymes in question were derived from a mutation of a fungus that belongs to a widespread family of fungi called Penicillium funiculosum.
However, only through multiple steps of genetic engineering can the fungus be engineered to produce the necessary enzymes in sufficient quantities to function as an efficient hydrolyser of organic waste such as rice stubble.
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The fungus, which is found in soil and a portion of solid waste, in this case rice stubble, can be used to grow the fungus and secrete enzymes.
“This is a cell-free system that has enzymes available to digest the biomass. So ultimately after digestion you have a free sugar, which can be fermented not only for ethanol but also to make cosmetics, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs, or base components of medicines),” Yazdani said.
He estimates that if India’s future ethanol needs – government policy mandates blending 20% ethanol in all petrol by 2025 – relied on locally developed enzymes, it would mean the cost of purchasing enzymes would be reduced by about 2/3.
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A report by Niti Aayog on India’s ethanol blending programme estimates that one litre of ethanol requires 2.3 kg of rice, 2.6 kg of maize or 50 kg of sugarcane. Because these are major food crops, relying on them for fuel means using food land for fuel. Secondly, these crops are water-intensive. Hence, the recommendation is to rely on agricultural biomass and further municipal solid waste as feedstock for ethanol. Additionally, using agricultural residues as a fuel source also translates into alternative use of stubble, which farmers burn to clear land for cropping. This year, Punjab alone is estimated to produce 20 million tonnes of rice stubble. A plant, even one like the one in Panipat, can process a maximum of 2,00,000 tonnes.
The production of ethanol is a part of the larger BioE3 programme, which was approved by the Cabinet last week — though without a budgetary outlay. While the fossil fuel industry is currently the main source of various consumer products and results in pollution and plastic pollution, BioE3 aims to leverage India’s capabilities and put it at the forefront of an already ongoing global movement to move away from fossil fuels and use biological organisms and biotechnology as new sources of energy and consumer products, said Rajesh Gokhale, secretary, department of biotechnology.
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