Hyderabad’s IICT enters into MoU with BPCL to utilise paddy stubble for producing biogas

In its endeavor to convert waste to wealth, IICT had developed and patented a high rate biomethanation technology based on Anaerobic Gas lift Reactor (AGR) to generate methane rich biogas and nutrient rich biomanure.

Hyderabad: In a novel initiative at ensuring biomass like paddy stubble is not wasted through burning, Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) is now collaborating with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) Research and Development (R & D) Center, in Noida, to install commercial scale compressed biogas (CBG) plants for treatment of such agricultural biomass.

In its endeavor to convert waste to wealth, IICT had developed and patented a high rate biomethanation technology based on Anaerobic Gas lift Reactor (AGR) to generate methane rich biogas and nutrient rich biomanure. In fact such a plant has been installed at the Bowenpally vegetable yard, which received praise from Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat.

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To leverage AGR technology and generate methane rich biogas from nutrient biomanure by treating agricultural biomass, the CSIR-IICT and BPCL R&D center, Noida have jointly entered into MoU in December, 2021 to execute a research and development project for 18 months.

“The MoU includes development of a pilot scale reactor in the first phase and development of another novel digester in the second phase. Upon successful pilot reactor demonstration at IICT, the same process/product would be scaled up, validated and deployed at BPCL R&D Centre in Noida,” IICT officials said in a release.

A team of officials from BPCL R&D Centre visited CSIR-IICT in October 2021, to witness the pilot biogas plant based on AGR technology installed at IICT for the treatment of food waste generated in the campus kitchen and finalize the objectives of the proposed project.

Upon successful negotiations and the finalization of the project, a team from IICT including Dr. A. Gangagni Rao, Chief Scientist and Principal investigator of the project and Dr. D. Shailaja, Chief Scientist and Head, Business development group visited BPCL R & D Centre on December 23, 2021 and entered into an MoU to kick start the project.

Dr. V. M. Tiwari, Director IICT said that “the teams at CSIR-IICT and BPCL R & D Centre are keenly looking forward to a fruitful product/process as an outcome. The successful execution of this project would create a paradigm shift in the biomass burning issue”.

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