Bamboo to ethanol, India's biofuel industry to explode into a $15 bn market

Indian oil companies are investing in biofuel refineries to boost ethanol production from non-molasses sources such as agricultural residues

An oil refinery in a region in India that’s more famous for its tea plantations is hoping to put its abundant greenery to new use.

A $200 million joint venture between Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. and Finnish technology firm Chempolis Oy will crush bamboo, the longest of the grass family, to produce 60 million liters of ethanol every year in the tea producing state of Assam. That’s enough to meet mandatory requirements for blending with gasoline in the entire northeastern region. The eight states that lie at the foot of the Himalayas together make up about two-thirds of India’s total bamboo production.

“Bamboo