International Energy Agency Bioenergy (Task 37), part of the International Energy Agency (IEA), is in discussions with Indian technology companies for researching and developing next generation bioenergy solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Task 37 working group, which met at the Green R&D Centre of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation in Bangalore this week, has engaged in technical discussions and explored long-term collaboration between India and other countries in the area of bioenergy, say sources. The main idea is to address the issue of increasing pollution due to burning of Lignocellulosic Agriculture Residue (LCAR) or agricultural waste like corn stover, barley straw, rice straw, rice husk, bagasse, cotton stalk, coffee husk, wheat bran, sorghum straw, sesame residue, soybean hulls etc. This can be converted into grid-grade natural gas (biogas) and biomethane.

"LCAR is a relevant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, making it a key area of focus for the Task 37 team. Our aim is to facilitate technology collaboration among member countries, with a particular interest in partnering with India, given its status as a major agricultural producer and an engineering powerhouse," says Dr. Ing. Jan Liebetrau, Head of Department, Rytec GmbH, Germany.

As part of India's biofuel policy and to set up a Second Generation (2G) route for ethanol production, public sector oil marketing companies are in the process of setting up twelve 2G bio-refineries with an investment of ₹14,000 crore. Under the "Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (JaivIndhan- VatavaranAnukoolfasalawasheshNivaran) Yojana" for providing financial support to integrated bio-ethanol projects using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock, the Government is providing financial support to twelve Integrated Bio ethanol Projects using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock with total financial outlay of ₹1969.50 crore, along with support to ten demo projects for 2G technology.

Experts of Task 37 say that agricultural activities are responsible for contributing 29% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is the primary contributor to the formation of ground-level ozone, which is a hazardous air pollutant. Exposure to ground-level ozone leads to approximately one million premature deaths annually. Over a 20-year period, methane is 80 times more effective at warming the Earth's atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Additionally, methane is released during the anaerobic digestion of biomass decay in landfills. Today societies and economies produce increasing amounts of LCAR, making this problem even more acute and a major factor in global warming. The Task 37 experts collaborate with partners towards enhancing research, development, and commercialization of energy technologies while aligning with the IEA goals of energy security, environmental protection, and economic growth.

The Task 37 also discussed technology collaborations with stakeholders like Bangalore based Scalene Energy Research Institute and its commercial wing, Scalene Energy Water Corporation, which has have developed a technology called Microbe Incubated Bio Reaction (MIBR) to produce organic natural gas with 98% purity of methane and that can be used as a fuel.

Bio Fuels

IEA explores collaboration with Indian bioenergy experts