Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has taken major strides in setting up an Rs. 1,750 crore bio-refinery unit for producing bioethanol from 5 lakh metric tonnes of bamboo per annum.
For this, they have collaborated with a Finnish Company to manufacture ethanol out of bamboo,
NRL has recently identified 25 local entrepreneurs who would set up bamboo chipping units close to the sources of this "golden grass". These units would supply chipped or bone-dry bamboo for the refinery to produce 49 metric tonnes of ethanol, 11 MT of acetic acid, 19 MT of furfural (used in making inks, plastics, antacids, adhesives, fungicides, fertilizers, etc.), and other associated products.
The Northeast is rich in bamboo cultivation and is the leading producer of bamboo in the country with more than 65 per cent of the "Golden grass" towering above the Northeastern lands, NRL has capitalized on this boon of the Northeast. The bio-refinery is a part of NRL's major integrated expansion project which aims to augment its capacity from the current 3 million metric tonnes per annum to 9 million metric tonnes per annum which would entail a cost of Rs 28,000 crores.
Assam is also a power-deficient state so the project also entails setting up a captive power plant that would use bamboo residue as fuel and would churn out a power of 20 MW which would be quite helpful for the state.
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