Chempolis signs agreement for bamboo ethanol project in India
October 17, 2014
BY Erin Krueger
On Oct. 15, Finland-based Chempolis Ltd. announced it has signed a partnership agreement with Numaligarh Refinery Ltd., an enterprise of the Indian government, to build a cellulosic ethanol and chemical production facility in Assam, India. The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that was signed by the two companies in September.
According to information released by Chempolis, the proposed facility will convert bamboo feedstock into cellulosic ethanol, and biobased furfural and acetic acid. The facility will utilize Chempolis’ formicobio technology, a biorefining technology based on selective fractionation of biomass and coproduction of multiple products. The facility is currently expected to take 2.5 years to develop.
Advertisement
Advertisement
“This agreement is one important step to approach the national policy on biofuels announced by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India in 2009 that targets 20 percent blending of bio fuels in diesel and petrol by 2017,” said Pasi Rousu, president APAC.
Navin Singhania, president of Chempolis India, said, “Bamboo is an important raw material in north-east region of India accounting 66 percent of the country’s bamboo resources. This agreement aiming at utilization of bamboo is completely in line with objectives of India. According to Economic Times bamboo industry is estimated to reach U.S. $5.7 billion in the near future. For NRL production of fuel grade ethanol will result in substantial savings, in addition, this project is expected to have minimal carbon footprint.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
P. Padmanabhan, managing director of NRL, said “This project would enable cultivation of bamboo on a commercially sustainable basis and would boost rural economy of the region.”
The proposed project is not the first cellulosic ethanol agreement Chempolis has pursued in India. In Oct, 2013, the company signed an MOU with ONGC, India’s leading oil and gas exploration company. At that time, the MOU with ONGC was described as a road map to the first biorefinery project in in India.
Related Stories
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is soliciting public comments on a preliminary plan for determining provisional emissions rates (PER) for the purposes of the 45Z clean fuel production credit.
On July 17, Iowa’s cost-share Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program awarded $1.12 million in grants for 20 applicants to add B11 and 4 applicants to add E15 to retail sites. This was the first meeting following the start of RFIP’s fiscal year.
Par Pacific Holdings Inc., Mitsubishi Corp. and ENEOS Corp. on July 21 announced the signing of definitive agreements to establish Hawaii Renewables LLC, a joint venture to produce renewable fuels at Par Pacific’s refinery in Kapolei Hawaii.
A new study published by the ABFA finds that the U.S. EPA’s proposal to cut the RIN by 50% for fuels made from foreign feedstocks, as part of its 2026 and 2027 RVOs, could stall the growth of the biomass-based diesel (BBD) industry.
The European Commission on July 18 announced its investigation into biodiesel imports from China is now complete and did not confirm the existence of fraud. The commission will take action, however, to address some systemic weaknesses it identified.
Upcoming Events
