Indian refinery to produce bioethanol from bamboo

Sulzer technology is helping to convert bamboo into bioethanol in a pioneering Indian refinery.

India’s national objective of achieving self-sufficiency in energy and reducing its fossil fuel footprint is being supported by Sulzer’s expertise in pump manufacturing and refinery processes.

The country’s first biorefinery, Assam Bio Refinery, built by Chempolis technology, is a new joint venture that will be the only refinery in the world to create bioethanol from bamboo – available in abundance in north-eastern India.

Sulzer is delivering a range of engineered application pumps as well as core technology such as column internals for the refining process.

The facility will use Sulzer’s experience in pump design and manufacturing as well as separation technology to ensure long-term reliability and efficiency in the refining processes. The company’s expertise in the chemical industry is well-established and it has been supplying process pumps to similar applications all over the world for decades.

Once complete, the biorefinery will use 300,000 tonnes of bamboo each year. The refinery will produce 60 million litres of bioethanol, which can be used to help power vehicles, as well as 19,000 tonnes of furfural and 11,000 tonnes of acetic acid per year.

Frédéric Lalanne, the incoming president of Sulzer’s flow equipment division and CEO of the Sulzer Group, commented: “The increased use of renewable energy sources is all the more important as global demand for power continues to rise. Sulzer is committed to using its engineering expertise and process knowledge to support customers that are using innovative processes to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and improve sustainability.”

Source: https://biofuels-news.com