Biomass Burning

Utilising 7.3 mn tonnes of straw can produce energy worth ₹270 cr: IBA

The use of 7.3 million tonnes of paddy straw currently burnt by farmers in the biogas plants can produce renewable gas worth about Rs 270 crore per year, said the Indian Biogas Association (IBA) on Sunday. The latest anaerobic digestion processes can efficiently convert this agricultural residue into Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG), which can directly replace imported natural gas, an IBA statement said. Beyond energy, paddy straw is excellent for bioethanol production because of its 40 per cent cellulose content, it added. It has the potential to achieve import substitutions worth Rs 1,600 crore, the IBA claimed. Even the remaining 20 per cent lignin fraction can yield high-value products, such as polymers, activated carbon, Graphene and resins, it added. According to the statement, diverting only the 7.3 million tonnes of paddy straw currently burnt to biogas plants can produce renewable gas worth about Rs 270 crore per year. "This policy is likely to attract investments of Rs 37,500 c

Turning crop waste into rural gold: Biomass co-firing needs policy push

India generates over 500 million tonnes of agricultural residues annually.

AMG acquires 17.5% stake in Greenko Energy Holdings for $1.4 billion

AMG will own 25 per cent stake, including AMG promoter's current share, in Greenko post-closing of this transaction in July

MNRE revises norms for biomass programme to boost clean energy in India

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued revised guidelines for the biomass programme to promote cleaner energy solutions, ease of doing business, and accelerate the adoption of biomass technologies across India. The norms are revised under Phase-I of National Bioenergy Programme, applicable for the period FY 202122 to 202526. These amendments aim to promote cleaner energy solutions, ease of doing business, and accelerate the adoption of biomass technologies across the country, a ministry statement said. Under the new framework, the ministry has simplified several processes, such as cutting down on paperwork and easing approval requirements, which will enable the industry, especially MSMEs to enhance their production. These changes align with improvement of stubble management and India's broader goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070. One of the major highlights of the revision is technological integration by enabling the use of IoT-based monitoring solution

Air pollution levels across India well above global standards: WHO official

Strategies like LPG subsidies and a switch to cleaner cooking fuels could help India become a leader in meeting this challenge, says Dr Maria Neira, director of environment and health at WHO

Biomass co-firing, a sustainable solution to stubble burning problem

Process burns biomass and coal together to generate electricity, offering a way to tackle air pollution

South Korean politician calls for probe into biomass imports from Indonesia

A South Korean National Assembly member has called for a moratorium on wood pellet imports from Indonesia and an investigation into their environmental impacts after government data and satellite analysis linked the country's biomass imports to deforestation in Indonesia. We should stop imports of wood pellets and it's important for our government to investigate exactly what kinds of environmental destruction is occurring on the spot, Moon Dae-Lim, a lawmaker with South Korea's main liberal opposition Democratic Party, said in recent written responses to questions from The Associated Press. Identifying and correcting potential risks in supply chains and value chains is key to a sustainable project. Biomass can come from organic material like plants, wood and waste, and many coal-fired power plants can be easily modified to burn it alongside coal to make energy. As countries accelerate their energy transitions, demand for biomass is growing: The use of bioenergy has increased an ...

Traditional cooking practices in northeast pose more health risks than LPG

An IIT Mandi study found that traditional cooking practices that use biomass fuel in northeast Indian states lead to alarming health risks compared to LPG-using kitchens

41% still rely on biomass for cooking, emitting 340 mn tonnes CO2: Report

Forty-one percent of the Indian population still uses wood, cow dung or other biomass as cooking fuel and cumulatively emits around 340 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the environment every year, which is about 13 per cent of India's greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report. The report "India's Transition to E-cooking" by the independent think tank Centre for Science and Environment also said that the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana led to a rapid expansion in access to liquified petroleum gas (LPG) in India, but it has "not guaranteed a sustained transition to clean cooking in households" that benefited from the scheme. Around a third of the world's population 2.4 billion people globally (including 500 million people in India) still lack access to clean cooking solutions. This causes untold damage to the economy, public health and the environment. Approximately three million people globally (including 0.6 million people in India) die prematurely every year because

'Garbage burning, dumping C&D waste top contributors to Delhi pollution'

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Wednesday said open burning of garbage, dumping of construction waste and use of tandoors in restaurants are among the top contributors to rising air pollution in the national capital. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has collected nearly Rs 1.51 crore in seven days from fines imposed on violators flouting the ban on these activities, she added. "We have deployed special teams on the ground to keep a check on open burning (of garbage) and (dumping of) construction and demolition (C&D) waste, which have been banned keeping in mind the rising air pollution. These activities have been banned as they are among top contributors to the rising levels of air pollution in the city," Oberoi said during a press conference. The MCD has deployed 517 surveillance teams to curb air pollution in the national capital. The teams have issued 297 challans for open burning of garbage and 622 challans for dumping C&D waste to defaulters in seven days. Among the .

Power Min revises biomass co-firing policy to enable purchase of pellets

The power ministry on Tuesday said it has revised the biomass co-firing policy to enable the purchase of biomass pellets by power plants. The decision would encourage farmers, entrepreneurs as well as thermal power utilities to strive to establish a sustainable biomass supply chain, the ministry said in a statement. "Ministry of Power (MoP) has decided to benchmark the prices of biomass pellets used for co-firing in Thermal Power Plants (TPPs). Ministry of Power has revised biomass Co-Firing Policy for enabling the purchase of biomass pellets by Power Plants at benchmark price," it said. The benchmarked price shall take into account the business viability, impact on electricity tariff and efficient and faster pellet procurement by power utilities. Price benchmarking of pellets will enable the TPPs as well as pellet vendors to establish a sustainable supply mechanism for co-firing of pellets. The benchmarked price, as finalised by the committee under CEA, will be effective from Janu

BJP slams Kejriwal over biomass burning by security guards, drivers' remark

Bhartiya Janta Party MP from Delhi Parvesh Verma slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for saying that biomass burning by security guards and drivers is one of the sources of pollution

States asked to formulate plans for biomass co-firing in power plants

Ministry of Power has asked states to formulate time-bound plans to ensure the utilisation of biomass for co-firing in thermal power plants ahead of the Kharif harvest season

NTPC co-fires 77k tonne biomass at 14 thermal power plants: Official

State-owned power giant NTPC has co-fired 77,000 tonnes of biomass till date at 14 of its thermal power plants across the country, a company official said on Thursday. Company's Director (Operations) Ramesh Babu made the remarks at a workshop organised in Chandigarh in association with SAMART (Sustainable Agrarian Mission on use of Agro Residue in Thermal Power Plants) on 'Ex-situ utilisation of agricultural residue for co-firing in thermal power plants', NTPC said in a statement. The power ministry's policy on 'Biomass Utilization for Power Generation through Co-firing in Coal based Power Plants' issued in October 2021 mandates all thermal power plants in the country to use 5 to 10 per cent biomass along with coal for power production. In his address "Ramesh Babu, Director(Operations), NTPC Ltd, highlighted the potential of biomass as untapped resource, additional source of income, high scale of demand and favourable government policies. "He also informed about various initiatives

NTPC top biomass user in India, consumes 58,000 MT: Power Ministry

State-run power giant NTPC has emerged as the top biomass user, having co-fired about 58,000 MT of biomass, while tendering a total of 10.7 MMT over short-term and long-term basis, the power ministry said on Wednesday. As on date, approximately 59,000 metric tonnes (MT) of biomass has been co-fired in thermal power plants in the country, while tenders for 12 million metric tonnes (MMT) are at different stages of process for short-term & long-term duration, the ministry said in a statement. "The biomass co-fired in the NCR (national capital) region stands at 21,000 MT and tenders floated in the region are about 5.50 MMT. Contracts have already been awarded for more than 11 lakh MT of biomass pellets," it added. Elaborating the progress of national biomass mission, SAMARTH (Sustainable Agrarian Mission on use of Agro Residue in Thermal Power Plants), the ministry said, among the state governments, Haryana State Genco has been able to co-fire around 550 MT of biomass in two of its ...

Hot mix plants, stone crushers closed in Delhi-NCR till Nov 17: CPCB

It also asked the governments of Punjab and Haryana to take immediate stringent actions

NTPC invites bids for supply of biomass pelletsfor its 17 thermal plants

A company official had informed that a tonne of pellets costs around Rs 7,000

Dealing with crop residue burning

Blaming farmers will not solve the problem. Stopping free power for irrigation and the transfer of the same subsidy to farmers in other forms alone will make a significant difference

Air quality turns 'severe' in Delhi-NCR; public health emergency declared

The EPCA asked implementing agencies to take immediate stringent action to stop stubble-burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana

Biomass burning may spike 45% by 2050 with rise in crop production: Study

The study said 488 metric tonnes of the total crop residue was generated in India in 2017 and about 24 per cent of it was burnt in agricultural fields, mainly in Punjab and Haryana