Union Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that India’s aviation industry will use 20 percent bio-aviation fuel within the next five years.
Gadkari stated, Within five years our aviation industry will use 20 per cent of bio-aviation fuel, sustainable aviation fuel and that is to be starting it from parali (Stubble) and the farmer will get the rate of Rs 2500 per ton for it.”
The minister also mentioned that the highway ministry is now incorporating bio-bitumen into road construction, which is helping to reduce India’s bitumen imports. Bio-bitumen, derived from renewable sources like crop stubble, is used to bind road surfaces.
“We have the largest road network in the world. Currently, 90 percent of our roads use bitumen. Bitumen consumption in 2023-24 was 8.8 million tons, and it is expected to reach 10 million tons in 2024-25. We need to import 50 percent of this bitumen, costing between Rs 25,000 to 30,000 crore annually,” Gadkari explained.
He noted that the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) in New Delhi, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) in Dehradun, has developed bio-bitumen from stubble. He added that farmers are now contributing to the energy sector and have become “Urja Daata” (energy providers).
“Our farmers are not only Anna Daata (food providers); they are now Urja Daata (energy providers), Bitumen Daata (bitumen providers), and Hawa Irdhan Daata (air fuel providers),” Gadkari said.
He also reported that a test section using bio-bitumen was laid on the Shamli-Muzaffarnagar section of NH-709AD in November 2022 for a three-year performance evaluation. Additionally, NHAI is considering a trial with bio-bitumen on the Jorabat-Shillong section of NH-40. The anticipated benefits of bio-bitumen include reduced bitumen imports, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and new revenue and employment opportunities for farmers and MSMEs.
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