The Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) here and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) research and development centre have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to execute an R&D project to demonstrate the potential of anaerobic gas lift reactor (AGR) technology for the generation of methane-rich biogas from agriculture biomass, on pilot basis.
The project also aims to develop another novel digester in the second phase and upon successful pilot reactor demonstration at IICT, the same process/product would be scaled up, validated and deployed at BPCL R&D centre in Noida, informed an official release.
Officials of the centre visited IICT a few months ago to witness the pilot biogas plant based on AGR technology installed on campus for treatment of food waste generated in the kitchen, and finalise the objectives of the proposed project.
IICT chief scientist and principal investigator of the project A. Gangagni Rao, and chief scientist and business head D. Shailaja finalised the project details and entered into the pact to kickstart the project after visiting the BPCL centre.
The institute to convert waste to wealth has developed and patented the high rate biomethanation technology based on AGR and had successfully demonstrated at various waste generation sources such as the NGOs, vegetable market yards, educational institutions and other government and private enterprises.
The 10 TPD biogas plant in Bowenpally market has even won Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s praise in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’. The institute is now geared up to help BPCL in installing a commercial-scale Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant using agriculture biomass. “Teams at IICT and BPCL R&D centre are keenly looking forward for fruitful product/process as an outcome. The successful execution of this project would create a paradigm shift in biomass burning issue,” said IICT director V.M. Tiwari, the release added.
