On August 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a new second-generation (2G) ethanol plant to the country in honour of World Biofuel Day in an effort to reduce pollution brought on by stubble burning in the Haryana and Delhi region. The Panipat plant will shortly get its first test when the season for burning stubble begins in the upcoming winter.
The plant, based on innovative technology, is close to the Panipat refinery and was constructed by the Indian Oil Corporation at a cost of more than Rs 900 crore. It plans to use roughly 2 lakh tonnes of agricultural leftover (rice straw) per year to produce about 3 crore litres of ethanol.
“There will be no liquid discharge from the project. The initiative will cut greenhouse gases equal to around 3 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions annually by eliminating the burning of rice straw (crop residue). Simply put, the government claims that this is equivalent to removing approximately 63,000 cars from the nation’s roadways each year.
Paddy straw would be used as the plant’s primary raw material to produce ethanol. It will aid in managing paddy straw, reducing the need for in-situ management.
Stubble will be able to be disposed of at the biofuel facility without being burned. According to the government, finding a purpose for agri-crop residue would provide farmers more leverage and give them a chance to generate additional cash. It also states that the project would create indirect employment across the supply chain for the cutting, handling, and storage of rice straw in addition to direct employment for those involved in the running of the factory.
The first benefit of the plant, according to the PM, would be a reduction in stubble burning, who identified five advantages of the facility.
The second benefit is that new transportation infrastructure, biofuel plants, and mechanisms for cutting and disposing of stubble will all create new job possibilities in these areas. He continued, “The fourth benefit will be that pollution will be minimised, and the involvement of farmers in safeguarding the environment will expand further. The stubble that was a burden for the farmers…would become a means of additional money for them. The sixth advantage, according to him, will be that the nation will also have access to a substitute fuel.
The Haryana Cabinet approved the construction of the 2G ethanol plant with a 100 KLPD capacity by the IOC in Bohali in the Panipat district in April. The request put out by the Development and Panchayats Department to sell the 59.11 kanal of land in Gram Panchayat, Bohali, to IOCL was approved.
