MicroBite develops a disruptive technology for its bio-ethanol plant in Telangana

MicroBite, a Hyderabad based bio-ethanol startup, has developed a disruptive technology for ‘inline’ sterilization of liquid raw materials. This could be of significant importance to the ethanol industry, especially while handling the inventories of perishable materials for a longer period.

Bio-ethanol plants in India predominantly use conventional tanks for storing perishable raw materials. Sugarcane based molasses or sugar syrup contains natural enzymes that decompose the material over time. Being a seasonal crop, the raw materials extracted from sugarcane are procured and stored in bulk quantities.

According to an industry estimate, there could be a drop of up to 5% in the total fermentable sugar content in the raw materials each year. This problem is more prominent in the ethanol plants operating in tropical countries like India. Any addition of chemicals or physical treatments could alter the course of subsequent microbiological reactions with the materials under storage.

MicroBite has recently closed its pre-series A round with an investment of $1.5Mn, which would be put to use in setting up a five kilo litre per day (KLPD) plant and furthering its R&D for potential applications in other industrial segments. The company has raised Pre-Series A funding round from Vijay Madduri, co-owner of Hyderabad Football Club, and other angel investors.

The company has drawn up plans to set up a 5 KLPD capacity bioethanol plant in the State. It is looking at Nalgonda, Zaheerabad and Siddipet as the possible locations. These are shortlisted due to the availability of molasses.