Corncobs and straw could create ethanol circular economy in Karnataka

Farms throw away much of their waste even though their discarded biomass contains value. Now Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science researchers believe that farmers in Karnataka could convert their corncobs and rice paddy straw into ethanol to fuel cars and trucks.

“There is a growing need to implement sustainability strategies in the agricultural sector in terms of the valorization of waste,” wrote the researchers in the journal Frontiers in Sustainability on June 25. “This study gives a comprehensive idea of the emissions of the proposed supply chain and a comparative study of shifting to a biofuel-based transport system.”

The researchers found that collecting sufficient biomass in Karnataka to create a circular economy in ethanol would generate 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare on average, a number that is significantly lower than the 996.6 tons of carbon emissions released in Middle Eastern oil fields.

“Invoking the concept of [the circular economy] has helped to perceive waste valorization as a possibility in Indian scenario while keeping the clean energy concept intact. It shows that, due to the waste valorization concept, CO2 emissions are reduced in comparison to oil reserves excavation,” the researchers wrote.

They also argue that robust analyses that leverage AI, the Internet of Things, and other technologies are essential to ensure that every step of a circular economy that turns biomass to ethanal is green. They note that harvesting, collecting, refining using thermochemical and biochemical processes, and distributing the ethanol to customers are among the steps in the supply chain necessary in their circular economic vision. ce/jd