A Renewable Energy Revolution, Rooted in Agriculture

Why in News?

• The first bio-energy plant of a private company has commenced its commercial operations in Sangrur district of Punjab recently.
• The plant will produce Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) from paddy straw, thus converting agricultural waste into wealth, indicating the beginnings of a renewable energy revolution rooted in agriculture.

 

About the plant

• Constructed by Verbio AG, one of Germany's leading bio-energy companies, the plant will utilize about 2.1 million tonnes of a total of 18.32 million tonnes of paddy straw annually.
• The plant will daily produce about 600-650 tonnes of fermented organic manure, which can be used for organic farming and will also reduce stubble-burning on 40,000-45,000 acres translating into an annual reduction of 1.5 lakh tonnes of CO2 emissions.
• This project to use paddy straw to produce CBG is one that is replicable across India, and can transform the rural economy.

 

Background

• It has become common practice among farmers in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh to dispose of paddy stubble and the biomass by setting it on fire to prepare fields for the next crop, which has to be sown in a window of three to four weeks.
• Since this practice is spread over millions of hectares, the resultant clouds of smoke engulf the entire National Capital Territory of Delhi and neighbouring States for several weeks between October to December.

 

Impact of stubble burning

• Pollution: It emits large amounts of toxic pollutants in the atmosphere containing harmful gases like methane (CH4), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Volatile Organic compounds (VOC) and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
  • These pollutants after dispersal adversely affect human and livestock health by causing a thick blanket of smog.
• Soil Fertility: Husk burning on the ground destroys the nutrients in the soil, making it less fertile.
• Heat Penetration: The heat generated by stubble burning penetrates into the soil, leading to the loss of moisture and useful microbes.
• Soil biochemistry: Stubble burning alters the soil properties like soil temperature, pH, moisture, available phosphorus and soil organic matter.

 

Measures taken to contain stubble burning

• Penal action: Crop residue burning was notified as an offence under the Air Act of 1981, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and various appropriate Acts.
  • In addition, a penalty is being imposed on any offending farmer. Village and block-level administrative officials are being used for enforcement.
• Broad plan: The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had developed a framework and action plan for the effective prevention and control of stubble burning.
  • It includes in-situ management,e., incorporation of paddy straw and stubble in the soil using heavily subsidised machinery, supported by crop residue management (CRM) Scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
  • About CRM Scheme: The Central Sector Scheme aims to address the problem of air pollution caused due to stubble burning by subsidizing the machinery required for in-situ management of crop residue.
• Pusa Decomposer: It is a microbial consortium of fungal species (both in liquid and capsule forms) developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), that has been found effective for rapid in-situ decomposition of paddy straw.
• PAU Smart Seeder machine : The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Smart Seeder has been included in the Crop Residue Management (CRM) subsidy scheme recently.
  • The PAU smart seeder manages paddy residues by incorporation and surface mulching and thus smartly retains the benefits of both Happy Seeder and Super Seeder in a single machine.
  • About Happy seeder machine: It is a tractor-operated machine that cuts and lifts the paddy stubble (straw) while simultaneously sowing the wheat crop and spreading the cut straw as mulch over fields.
  • About Super-seeder machine: It helps plough the standing paddy residue and sow seeds for the next wheat crop, in a single operation. The machine is technologically superior to the Happy Seeder and is more expensive.
• Ex-situ CRM efforts: It includes the use of paddy straw for biomass power projects and co-firing in thermal power plants.
• Marketplace for Crop Residue: Stubble can also be used as feedstock for 2G ethanol plants, feed stock in CBG plants, fuel in industrial boilers, waste-to-energy (WTE) plants, and in packaging materials, etc.
  • Since paddy straw has a considerable calorific value, it is suitable for use as a fuel in biomass based power plants.
• Public Awareness Campaigns: Information dissemination via kisan camps, trainings and workshops, apart from campaigns through various print media, televised shows and radio telecast, informing farmers about the alternative usage of crop residue and health effects of crop residue burning .
• Crop Diversification: Long-term efforts aimed at diversification of cropping techniques, is being attempted through cultivation of alternate crops (apart from rice/paddy and wheat) that produce less crop residue and have greater gap periods between cropping cycles.
• SATAT scheme: The Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation scheme aims at setting up Compressed Bio-Gas production plants and makes them available in the market for use in automotive fuels by inviting Expression of Interest from potential entrepreneurs.
  • The Indian Biogas Association has recommended setting up testing labs in all States to achieve the SATAT target, which aims to establish 5,000 compressed biogas (CBG) plants by 2025.

 

A project in place

• Consultation: NITI Aayog approached FAO India in 2019 to explore converting paddy straw and stubble into energy and identify possible ex-situ uses of rice straw to complement the in-situ programme.
• Proposal: The FAO after technical consultations with the public and private sectors published its study on developing a crop residue supply chain in Punjab that can allow the collection, storage and final use of rice straw for other productive services, specifically for the production of renewable energy.
• Outlay: The results suggested that to mobilise 30% of the rice straw produced in Punjab, an investment of around ₹2,201 crore ($309 million) would be needed to collect, transport and store it within a 20-day period.
• Environment impact: This would reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 9.7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent and around 66,000 tonnes of PM 2.5.
• Financial impact: Further, depending on market conditions, farmers can expect to earn between ₹550 and ₹1,500 per ton of rice straw sold, depending on market conditions.

 

Effectiveness of rice straw in energy technologies

• Meet scheme target: With 30% of the rice straw produced in Punjab, a 5% CBG production target set by SATAT scheme can be met.
• Circular economy: Paddy straw from one acre of crop can yield energy output (CBG) worth more than ₹17,000, an addition of more than 30% to the main output of grain. It is an ideal example of a ‘wealth from waste’ approach.
• Ecological benefits: The slurry or fermented organic manure from the plant (CBG) will be useful as compost to replenish soils heavily depleted of organic matter, and reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers.
• Economic gains: It could also increase local entrepreneurship, increase farmers’ income, provide employment opportunities to rural youth in the large value chain, from paddy harvest, collection, baling, transport and handling of biomass and in the CBG plant.

 

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Source: A Renewable Energy Revolution, Rooted in Agriculture