The Indian Biogas Association (IBA) on Sunday, November 23, said that the paddy straw which farmers burn every year can actually become a major source of renewable energy and valuable products if routed to biogas plants instead of being set on fire.
According to the IBA, India currently burns around 7.3 million tonnes of paddy straw, mostly in North Indian states. But the association says this same amount of straw can be used to produce Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) worth about INR 270 crore (USD 30.2 million) every year.
In a statement, the IBA said the latest anaerobic digestion technologies can “efficiently convert this agricultural residue into Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG), which can directly replace imported natural gas”, as quoted by the Press Trust of India.
The association also pointed out that paddy straw is rich in cellulose, nearly 40 percent, which makes it suitable for producing bioethanol. It claimed that this can help India achieve import substitution worth INR 1,600 crore. Even the remaining part, which is lignin, can be turned into “high-value products, such as polymers, activated carbon, Graphene and resins”. Renewable energy is a huge part of India’s ambitious goal. The country said it is planning a massive clean energy investments of USD 150 billion by 2030.
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IBA Chairman Gaurav Kedia said the upcoming biogas policy could give a big push to the sector. “This policy is likely to attract investments of Rs 37,500 crore and facilitate the setting up of 750 CBG projects in the country by 2028-29. More significantly, this represents an import-substituting move toward LNG, ensuring savings in precious foreign exchange by building energy security from domestic resources. Parallel goals of Sustainable Aviation Fuel include 1 per cent blending for international flights by 2027, further expanding the bioeconomy landscape,” he said.
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The association stressed that the way paddy straw is seen today needs to change. It said farmers burning the residue cause big pollution spikes every year. “The conventional perception of paddy straw as waste represents a failure of imagination,” it said, adding that burning one tonne of straw releases about 1,460 kg of carbon dioxide, 60 kg of carbon monoxide and 3 kg of particulate matter into the atmosphere.
IBA says India must adopt innovative technologies so that the straw becomes a resource instead of a pollutant. It also said that some solutions are already visible, including strategic plantation around North Indian cities and highways. Mature trees can absorb around 22 kg of CO2 every year and filter particulate matter, giving a natural shield against pollution.
Citing Delhi as an example, the IBA said the capital has shown what large-scale greening can do, planting more than 2.5 million saplings in 2023. It added that Miyawaki forests, highway green corridors and community “Adopt a Tree” programmes together can create a strong natural defence system for cities.
The association said using paddy straw in biogas plants, along with greener city planning, can reduce pollution, cut fuel imports and boost India’s clean-energy economy.
