The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hyderabad-based biotech startup 3CousinLabs to study the technical and commercial feasibility of producing ethanol from seasonal fruits grown in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
According to a statement issued by CSIR-NIIST, the project, titled “Pilot-Scale and Feasibility Studies for the Production of Ethanol from Fruit Pulp and Juices,” will evaluate the potential of converting a wide range of seasonal fruits into bioethanol, PTI reported.
The institute said the collaboration is aimed at promoting sustainable biofuel production while creating value from horticultural produce.
The MoU was signed by C. Anandharamakrishnan, Director of CSIR-NIIST, and P. Srinivas, Managing Director of 3CousinLabs, in the presence of scientists from the institute and representatives of the startup.
CSIR-NIIST said 3CousinLabs has developed a technology to convert fruit pulp and juices into ethanol and will work with the institute to validate the process through pilot-scale trials, optimise production and carry out scale-up studies before commercial deployment.
Under the project, the institute will conduct pilot-scale trials using batches of 150 to 200 litres. The trials will generate engineering and process data needed for technology validation, scale-up and techno-economic assessment.
The studies are expected to support the establishment of commercially viable decentralised bioethanol production units using locally available seasonal fruits.
The project also aims to utilise surplus, unsold and processing-grade fruits that are often wasted because of their short shelf life. By converting these fruits into bioethanol, the initiative seeks to reduce post-harvest losses, improve resource use and create an additional source of income for fruit growers and farmer producer organisations.
According to CSIR-NIIST, the collaboration is aligned with the Government of India’s Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme by promoting the use of diverse feedstocks for ethanol production and strengthening the country’s renewable energy sector.
The institute said the project is expected to create new market opportunities for seasonal fruits, improve rural livelihoods, stabilise farmers’ income and encourage value addition in the horticulture sector.
It also supports the principles of a circular economy by converting agricultural surplus and potential waste into a renewable source of energy.
CSIR-NIIST said the partnership combines the startup’s technology with the institute’s pilot-scale infrastructure and process engineering expertise and is expected to support the commercialisation of sustainable fruit-based bioethanol technologies in India.
