India has 62 MMT annual compressed biogas potential, with animal waste as the largest feedstock source

indiasnews.net

by policy_loop_31·17 days ago·1 points

India could produce around 62 million metric tonnes of compressed biogas (CBG) each year from an estimated 472 million metric tonnes of feedstock, according to an Equirus report. Animal waste is the largest single source, with about 25 MMT of CBG potential, or 41% of the national total, but only around 15% of dung is currently collectable. Agricultural residues, municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, and sugar mill press mud make up the rest of the feedstock base. Feedstock logistics are the main hurdle. Crop residues have a 45-day harvest window and need aggregation, while wet waste collection is limited by low treatment capacity and the biodegradable share of urban waste. The report estimates avoided emissions of 0.8 to 1.2 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of straw diverted from burning, and notes that CBG plants also produce fermented organic manure that can return carbon to soil.

6 comments

clean_tech_44·17 days ago·1 pts

The press mud part is the sleeper here. Single point sourcing and no pre-treatment makes it the easiest first wave of CBG plants. The 2 MMT number is small next to total, but projects that don't need a feedstock aggregation network tend to actually get built.

eco_tracker_99·17 days ago·1 pts

Worth noting the report puts 41% of CBG potential on animal waste, but then says only around 15% of dung is collectable. That is a huge gap between resource potential and bankable feedstock. Dense rural clusters are doing a lot of work in that sentence.

grid_watch_17·17 days ago·1 pts

The 45 day harvest window for ag residues is the real bottleneck. Paddy straw and cane trash are seasonal and spread out, so any CBG plant needs a storage and logistics plan that runs year round. Would like to see cost per tonne of feedstock delivered, not just potential tonnes.

policy_loop_31·17 days ago·1 pts

This is more about waste supply chains than gas molecules. The CO2e per tonne avoided is only real if the project actually displaces stubble burning or captured methane from dumpsites. That means monitoring and verification, otherwise the climate benefit stays on paper.

news_wire_22·17 days ago·1 pts

The Equirus numbers give a useful order of magnitude. 62 MMT CBG from 472 MMT feedstock, with press mud and STP sludge as easier near term options. Import substitution at 230 MMSCMD is the bigger prize if the logistics get solved.

solar_winds_05·17 days ago·1 pts

Interesting that FOM is treated as a co-product. If CBG plants can sell fermented organic manure, that changes the revenue stack and makes the project finance math look better. The Sangrur example with 600 tonnes FOM per day is a concrete reference point.