Year after year, farmers across India burn leftover stalks and husks, eliminating an estimated 90 million tonnes of biomass out of 500 million tonnes of biomass generated. The practice lowers air quality, wastes a valuable resource and accounts for nearly 17 per cent of the greenhouse gases that Indian farming emits.
According to the Ministry of Environment, crop residue burning contributes up to 40 per cent of seasonal air pollution in North India, particularly choking cities like Delhi during winter. It also wastes a massive, untapped energy source. Reprocessing those leftovers into biofuels offers a triple win: cleaner skies, greater energy independence and fresh streams of rural income.
Residue availability: Of the 500-million-tonne total, researchers agree that about 120 to 150 million tonnes lie idle each season. Set aside as surplus, this could supply roughly 17 per cent of national transport fuel needs when converted to bioethanol or biodiesel. Every year India imports over 85 per cent of its crude oil requirement which costs more than $100 billion annually. Biofuels produced from biomass could help us in shrinking this bill while stabilising fuel prices domestically.
