Kanpur: Stubble burning, long considered one of the biggest contributors to air pollution, is increasingly being used to produce biogas. Earlier, it took nearly 60 days to produce biogas by mixing stubble and cow dung. Now, with the help of bacteria, the same process can be completed in just 15 to 20 days. This information was shared by Dr. Sachin Kumar from the Department of Chemical Technology during a national training programme on biogas organised at HBTU, reports Amar Ujala.
He explained that until now, producing five tons of compressed biogas (CBG) required about 50 tons of stubble. With the new bacterial process, the same amount of CBG can be produced using only 30 tons of stubble. Dr. Kumar said biogas plants could help reduce stubble-related problems and provide relief from pollution.
The programme, focused on sustainable development of biogas and biomethane from waste, was inaugurated by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Shamsher, Dean of the School of Chemical Technology Prof. P.K.S. Yadav, and Dr. A.R. Shukla from the Indian Federation of Biogas Associations and former adviser.
Speakers at the event included Dr. Sachin Kumar, Gaganpreet Kaur, Dr. Nidhi Sahu, Deputy General Manager of the Indian Federation of Green Energy, Atul Kumar Tiwari, and Dr. Krishnendu Kundu. A book related to biogas was also released during the programme.
Dr. Nidhi Sahu said that there is a pressing need to take biogas plants more seriously and make significant policy changes.
She added that a shortage of skilled workers is hindering operations. While large plant operators have managed to arrange necessary manpower, small-scale plants continue to struggle due to the lack of qualified personnel. The programme was organised by Dr. Sachin Kumar and Gaurav Kedia.
