ABSTRACT
The report focuses on the chemical processing of biomass in India and its implications in renewable energy production, waste management, and pollution control. The primary biological processes involved in the bioconversion of agricultural wastes into biofuels, such as biogas and ethanol, may include anaerobic digestion, alcoholic fermentation, and enzymatic hydrolysis. Owing to the small scale of biomass and somewhat favorable policy support, the technologies have accordingly found applications in India. There are an estimated 5.6 million anaerobic digesters planned for operation by 2020, producing energy while simultaneously reducing methane emissions and creating organic fertilizers. Alcoholic fermentation is a critical part of the E20 program, which aims to achieve a 20% blend of ethanol in petrol by 2025, thereby reducing emissions. Enzymatic hydrolysis can be a cleaner method for liberating bioethanol from lignocellulosic waste, thereby serving as an alternative to residue burning. Also, with new developments, the processes have become more flexible and efficient. Some of these also include hybrid systems such as chemical pretreatment processes followed by enzymatic processes, well-developed anaerobic processes, thermochemical-biological fermentation processes, and algal wastewater treatment processes. Together, these integrated approaches increase biofuel yields, reduce prices, and thus allow the use of a wider variety of feedstocks, thereby giving biochemical conversion a prominent role in India’s sustainable energy future.
