Source: PIB & The Economic Times
Country’s first plant to convert paddy straw into biogas that can be used as CNG in automobiles will come up at Karnal in Haryana( Indraprastha Gas Ltd, the largest CNG distribution company in India) as agencies double effort to prevent burning of crop stubble that is said to be the main reason for pollution in the national capital region.
About the plant
- The plant will deploy special machines that will chop and bundle paddy straw for transportation to storage. This storage will be used throughout the year to produce CBG.
- The capacity of the Unit:
- This unit will have the capacity to convert stubble generated from 20,000 acres of farmland in a year into gas, which will then be sourced by IGL for its City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in Karnal(IGL currently supplies CNG and piped cooking gas to households in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Rewari, Gurugram, Karnal and Muzzafarnagar.)
- The plant will produce a maximum of 10,000 kg CBG every day. The input of the plant is a majorly paddy straw. The plant has the capacity of consuming around 40,000 tonnes of paddy straw in a year which will be taken from 20,000 acres of farmland in Karnal district.
- This unit, which will come up by 2022, has been set up by Ajay Bio-Energy Pvt Ltd, under ‘SATAT’ (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) scheme on CBG launched by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Significance
- Bio manure produced from the plant as a byproduct will be organic and can be used to grow organic food and vegetables.
- This project will be a step in the direction of creating energy self-sustaining villages along with creating a pollution-free environment in the region. It will send a positive signal to the stakeholders about the possibilities of replicating this model across India to improve the quality of life.
- The project aims to convert paddy wheat straw into bio-CNG. In addition to alleviating the ill effects of stubble burning on the environment, this project will also add to the income of the farmers in the region.
