Maruti planning to develop biogas from cow dung  

Maruti Suzuki India, one of the largest automakers in the country, is working on a project that will use cow dung to produce biogas for its carbon-neutral internal combustion engine vehicles like CNG, biogas, and ethanol automobiles.

This initiative is part of Maruti Suzuki’s efforts to find sustainable mobility solutions and reduce carbon emissions from its cars, the company has said.

The Japanese auto major said in a global presentation on growth strategy for 2030, “To provide a full range of products and services, Suzuki will provide not only battery EVs but also carbon neutral internal combustion engine vehicles that use CNG, biogas, and ethanol mixed fuels.”

The company further added that for the initiative, cow dung which is dairy is readily available and can be supplied from the country’s rural areas.

Suzuki is planning to develop CNG automotive solutions around biogas in India and export them to other farming regions, including Africa, Asean, and Japan, the company said in its global presentation.

Earlier in 2022, Maruti Suzuki had signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to start a biogas demonstration project. This was followed by a tripartite MoU between NDDB, SMC and Banas Dairy, a Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation division, to produce biogas commercially by mid-2024.