Indore-based agri scientist produces high biomass sorghum to blend with petrol

Agriculture scientist of Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (College of Agriculture Indore) has put the country on path to become a leading producer of Ethanol by developing a high biomass sorghum variety. This comes a few days after Union road and transport minister Nitin Gadkari had said “If an average of 60% ethanol and 40% electricity is taken then petrol will be available at the rate of Rs 15 per litre and the people will be benefitted.”

The government is already looking at the biofuel as the combating agent to check surging fuel prices. The sorghum plants (Jowar) holds a potential to produce raw material for producing suitable 2G lignocellulosic ethanol.

The Sorghum high biomass variety has been approved by the Central government as a substantial and potential raw material that can be made available by dry biomass yield under All India Coordinated Sorghum Improvement Project.

The newly-developed plant gives a high biomass variety under rain-fed conditions where 50 ton of fresh biomass can be obtained per hectare. The same biomass can produce dry yield of 25.44 ton per hectare. Principal scientist Dr Usha Saxena informed Free Press that the yield was tested and found to respond well to the recommended dose of fertilizer and production of 2G lignocellulosic ethanol.

Saxena said, “A farmer can produce 25.44 ton of dry biomass yield per hectare which can produce up to 360 litre of Ethanol per ton biomass. This crop matures within 121 to 127 days, hence, within three to four months a farmer can maximize his or her earning while helping environment as well.”

The dry yield is sent to the ethanol production plants situated majorly in four states, including Telangana, Gujarat, Punjab and Uttarakhand, who are already using the crop to produce lignocellulosic ethanol.

MP can be the largest raw material producer for ethanol

As the state is already the largest producer of Sorghum crop, it opens up an opportunity to become the largest dry biomass yield producing state in the nation. Saxena said, “The demand of Ethanol is going to increase in the coming years and farmers can avail this opportunity to use and sell their crop for betterment. The government has already announced a few subsidies related to sale of dry sorghum yield which will benefit both the parties.”

Why is Ethanol Production important for India?

Fuel prices are skyrocketing. Hence, the Central government started blending 20% Ethanol to increase fuel efficiency and make the prices settle for public use. Moreover, as part of its carbon reduction commitments, country has launched the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme to mix this biofuel with petrol to reduce the consumption of fossil fuel.