Govt urges sugar industry to diversify into green fuels

Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari called upon the sugar industry to explore multiple avenues for diversification, including ethanol-diesel blending and green hydrogen production. Addressing the annual general meeting of the Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) virtually, the minister emphasised the need for setting up ethanol and CNG pumps, including through private

Cement sector must innovate to achieve net-zero emissions

Cement production accounts for 7-8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, making the sector a key focus area for sustainability efforts and highlighting the need for innovation to achieve net-zero goals, an official said. “Cement consumption in India stands at approximately 250 kg per capita, far below the global average of 500 kg. With

India’s ethanol production capacity reaches 1,685 crore liters

India’s ethanol production capacity is experiencing significant growth, which is expected to boost the country’s overall production. India’s ethanol production capacity has grown substantially, now reaching 1,685 crore liters. According to the Department of Food & Public Distribution (DFPD), existing capacity of ethanol production in the country (as on 30th November 2024) has increased to 1685 crore

Sembcorp bags first solar plus energy storage project in India

Sembcorp Industries, through its renewables subsidiary Sembcorp Green Infra Private Limited, has secured a 150 megawatt solar photovoltaic project plus 300 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) in India, its first in the country. In a statement, Sembcorp said the build-own-operate project is part of a bid for 2 gigawatts (GW) inter-state transmission system-connected solar

Wärtsilä to power world’s largest cement carrier for NovaAlgoma

Wärtsilä will supply a comprehensive propulsion package for the 38,000-dwt cement carrier ordered by NovaAlgoma, a joint venture between Canada’s Algoma Central Corporation and Nova Marine Group. The vessel, set to launch by the end of 2026, will be the world’s largest cement carrier and the first in its class to be methanol-fueled, supporting NovaAlgoma’s decarbonization goals.

Ethanol sourcing from sugar mills to be less this season

The National Policy on Biofuel (NPB) 2018 has provisioned for an indicative target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2030. Sugar mills could face disappointment after Centre tweaked a crucial condition in the tender document of oil marketing companies (OMC) to procure ethanol from mills, aside of considering a lower-than-expected hike in the price

Centre grants approval for 47 ethanol projects in Bihar

A total of 47 projects from Bihar have been issued in-principle approvals for interest subvention on bank loans for establishing new or expanding existing distilleries, the government said. Currently, 22 ethanol distilleries – 8 molasses-based and 14 grain-based – are operational in Bihar, Minister of State for Food Nimuben Jayatibhai Bambhaniya said in a written

China builds seawater hydrogen production project

China has completed construction of its first factory-scale research project for hydrogen production from seawater, Sinopec announced. The project, located in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, combines direct seawater electrolysis with green electricity-based hydrogen production. It reports an output of 20 cubic meters of green hydrogen per hour, according to the company. Operating in a

LNG dual-fuel vessels lowest cost compliance solution to decarbonise shipping: SEA-LNG

Industry coalition SEA-LNG analysis shows that LNG dual-fuelled vessels provide the lowest compliance cost for meeting EU and IMO decarbonisation regulations. Using Z-Joule’s POOL.FM, SEA-LNG has undertaken analysis based on a modelled mid-sized, 14,000 TEU container vessel. This analysis is in the form of both a single vessel and also an eight-vessel fleet operating the

IIT Guwahati develops technology to convert methane, carbon dioxide into biofuel

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) developed an advanced biological method to convert methane and carbon dioxide into cleaner biofuels using methanotrophic bacteria. The research, co-authored by Prof Debasish Das and Dr Krishna Kalyani Sahoo, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati, has been published in Fuel, a journal by Elsevier.