New Delhi: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has requested the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) for a new policy that allows use of Lignin, a byproduct of bio-CNG production from rice straw, in making Bitumen for road construction, minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said today.
Speaking at the BBB Summit here, the minister said the two ministries had a meeting last month on the use of lignin in Bitumen. “Now CRRI has implemented a successful project where lignin is added 35 per cent in Bitumen. Using this, we have already completed 1 Kilometer of road laying in Nagpur – Jabalpur road. CRRI has certified that it is 50 per cent better than petroleum Bitumen,” Gadkari said.
He added that making bio-CNG from rice straw is one option where Lignin is produced as a byproduct. “I am now requesting the petroleum minister to formulate a policy for the offtake of lignin, on the lines of ethanol, so that they can purchase this Lignin at price of around Rs 35 per Kg. It can be a good source of income for the farmers too. It is also going to stop the problem of Parali (stubble) burning,” he said.
Gadkari said India’s automobile industry is growing constantly and the country is the third-largest vehicle manufacturer in the world. But with the rising demand for automobiles, consumption of fossil fuels is also increasing. “Today, it is a huge challenge for the country. The automobile industry gives maximum GST to the government, it has created more than 4.5 crore jobs and this industry also contributes to exports. But at the same time, India’s fossil fuel imports stand at Rs 22 lakh crore. While this is a challenge from economic point of view, it is a huge problem from pollution point of view too,” he said.
The minister also said that around 60 per cent of India’s population is dependent on agriculture but it contributes 40 per cent to the economy, and solutions must be found to make agriculture economically viable. “We have surplus rice, wheat and corn but not enough capacity for storage. So, India must diversify its agriculture economy towards the energy and power sector. We must find out how farmers get remunerative prices,” he said.
Gadkari emphasized that huge potential exists today for alternative fuels and biofuels, and while biomass is very important for the agriculture sector it is important to have cost effective technology and good quality products. The country also needs to focus on research to increase productivity from biomass, he said.
