Praj Industries to set up USD25 million 2nd generation cellulosic ethanol plant

India’s Praj Industries, a process solutions company for bio-ethanol, alcohol, water, wastewater and critical process equipment, announced on August 8, that a new plant will be built in Shirala in Maharashtra’s Sangli district. This will be a second generation (2G) cellulosic ethanol plant, costing USD25 million (INR150 crore).
Company Executive Chairman Pramod Chaudhari was at the groundbreaking along with Mansinghrao Naik, chairman of Viraj Alcohols and Allied Industries Ltd (VAAIL), the company said in a statement.
“The 2G cellulosic ethanol demo plant will operate on different variety of biomass with a capacity of 100 dry tons of biomass per day, which includes agricultural wastes such as corn stover, cobs and bagasse.”
For this project, Praj will work with VAAIL, an existing ethanol producer located in Western Maharashtra and a long term client of Praj. VAAIL will provide the land and allied services for the smooth operation of the project.
“The greenhouse gas savings from cellulosic ethanol [are] greater than those from first generation crop-based biofuels as well as fossil-based fuel and hence this project will play a vital role in reducing carbon footprints,” Chaudhari said.
According to the company, the ethanol demo plant will enable Praj to consolidate its six years of research and development efforts, starting with laboratory trials to pilot scale trials.
The same plant will also enable Praj to develop various biochemicals and bio-products, besides developing the entire value chain including biomass handling and biomass composition and its impact on the operations, the company said.
(August 8, 2013)