BITS Pilani Hyderabad develops breakthrough clean fuel from waste gases

Researchers at BITS Pilani Hyderabad have devised a method to convert smoke‑like industrial gases into Dimethyl Ether (DME), a clean fuel that could supplement or replace LPG in Indian households.

Hyderabad: BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus researchers have developed a new method that can turn the smoke‑like gases coming out of power plants into Dimethyl Ether (DME), a clean fuel that could one day replace or supplement LPG in Indian homes.

This development comes at a time when the war in West Asia is disrupting LPG supplies and raising concerns about India’s fuel security.

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Led by Dean of Research and Innovation Prof. Sounak Roy, along with Satyapaul A Singh and retired professor BM Reddy, the project showed how gases that are normally released into the air from large industries could be captured and converted into a usable, cleaner fuel.

Instead of letting this gas go to waste, the team used special materials and hydrogen (made by separating water into oxygen and hydrogen) to turn it into DME in a single step.

To make sure the process would work outside the lab, the researchers created conditions similar to those inside a real power plant. They used a specialised high‑pressure reactor that allowed the gas to move through quickly, just like in an actual industrial chimney.

By carefully adjusting heat, pressure, and the mix of gases, they were able to produce DME in large amounts, showing that the method can be scaled up in the future.

What makes the BITS Pilani breakthrough especially important is that the process not only creates a clean fuel but also reduces carbon emissions by putting industrial waste gases to productive use. This “two‑in‑one” benefit, cutting pollution while producing fuel, could play a major role in India’s clean energy transition.

“Our breakthrough shows that, instead of treating power, steel or cement plant emissions as waste, we are turning them into a valuable fuel that can reduce our dependence on imported LPG,” Prof. Roy said.