Innovation in Agriculture
Context:
- With the first bio-energy plant of a private enterprise starting commercial operations on October 18 in the Sangrur region of Punjab, the first wave of a renewable energy revolution with roots in agriculture is starting to take shape in India.
- Paddy straw will be used to create compressed bio gas (CBG), turning agricultural waste into profit
Background:
- Farmers in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh have made it a habit to burn paddy stubble and biomass to clear fields for the upcoming crop, which must be sowed within a window of three to four weeks. Millions of hectares make up this area.
- Between October and December, the resulting smoke clouds cover the whole National Capital Territory of Delhi and surrounding States for many weeks.
- This has a negative impact on the environment and the health of people and animals.
Initiatives:
- The Indian government has spent a lot of money and implemented numerous steps to address the issue.
- A framework and action plan had been created by the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) for the efficient prevention and control of stubble burning.
- The framework/action plan calls for in-situ management, which involves utilising heavily subsidised technology to incorporate paddy straw and stubble into the soil.
- Paddy straw is utilised in ex-situ CRM projects like as biomass power projects, co-firing in thermal power plants, 2G ethanol plants, CBG plants, industrial boiler fuel, waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities, and packaging materials, among others.
Economic Benefits:
- According to a techno-economic analysis of energy technologies, generating CBG and pellets from rice straw could be financially advantageous.
- Pellets can replace coal and CBG as a transportation fuel in thermal power plants. A 5% CBG production objective established by the Government of India programme, “Sustainable Alternative Toward Affordable Transportation (SATAT),” can be achieved with 30% of the rice straw produced in Punjab. Additionally, it might boost local business ventures, raise farmer incomes, and lessen open burning of rice straw.
Source The Hindu
