Assam: Numaligarh biorefinery successfully produces 99.7% pure bamboo ethanol

Ahead of its formal inauguration scheduled on September 14 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd’s bamboo-based bioethanol plant has reached a major technological milestone by successfully producing 99.7 per cent pure ethanol.

The trial carried out on September 3 marks a significant breakthrough in second generation (2G) ethanol production. The plant will be India’s first biorefinery to produce bioethanol from biomass of bamboo.

“The trials validated the technology. Full-fledged production will commence after the formal inauguration on September 14,” the NRL biorefinery’s CEO Himangshu Saikia said. Modi is scheduled to visit the plant on September 14 during his visit to Numaligarh.

NRL had joined hands with two Finnish companies – M/s Fortum and M/s Chempolis – to make this strategic entry into the field of producing ethanol from cellulosic feedstock bamboo, which is available in abundance in the region. Two other products will be furfural and acetic acid.

The plant will have a capacity to process 300 TMTPA of bamboo and will produce 49 TMTPA of ethanol along with associated chemicals and power. A largescale livelihood employment opportunity is envisaged to be generated in bamboo farming, harvesting and transportation. The approved cost of the project is Rs 3,250 crore. The project has received sanction of Rs 150 crore from the Central government under viability gap funding. Ethanol produced from the plant will substitute petrol. India has achieved 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol in 2025, five years ahead of its original target set for 2030.

This article has been republished from The Assam Tribune.