In India, Bihar state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar requested the national government to approve state legislation that would relax the Sugar Control orders and permit the production of ethanol directly from sugarcane juice. Indian law generally permits the production of ethanol only from molasses. The Bihar state legislature passed enabling legislation in 2007 but has not obtained national approval.
Meanwhile , the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) has approved 13 ethanol projects – 10 for sugarcane ethanol and three for corn ethanol. The sugarcane ethanol plants would crush 25000 of sugar cane per day.
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Joelle Brink | Jul 24, 2009 | Reply
Sugar is an important product in India as in all hot countries because of its sweetness and cooling properties. (Try it as an antidote to hot chilies or in drinks during hot weather.) The Government therefore protects sugar, but at present it is even more in need of increased ethanol supply to meet its mandate.
PM Manmohan Singh is a veteran of past Bihar sugar skirmishes and has already contracted for ethanol imports from Brazil, but on balance it’s likely that the government will allow at least some sugar use in Bihar for the sake of the mill owners who faced bankruptcy last year, and to reduce imports.
In the longer term, however, even the Bihar government plans to bypass the Raj-era sugar mills for modern hybrid cane-to-ethanol/power production plants.
The national government is committed to drought-tolerant sweet sorghum as a Gen 2 bridge crop, and to cellulosic ethanol.
Tata Chemicals is currently producing sweet sorghum ethanol commercially using Praj Industries’ technology.
Praj has completed demonstration of its propretary cellulosic ethanol technology and is working on upscaling with its customers. It is also working on algae-to-biodiesel technology.