Competitive Edge: Praj Industries’ Ethanol, Bioenergy, Biotech

Q: What was the reason for founding your organization – what was the open niche you saw that could be addressed with a new product or service? What was the problem, or gap, or opportunity?

Praj was founded by Dr. Pramod Chaudhari in 1983 owing to his affinity for agriculture and exposure to research with a firm belief that a thriving bioeconomy would benefit both India & World by being a significant contributor in mitigating the catastrophic effects of climate change. We always endeavored to strike a fine balance between 3P’s: profit, planet & people which is a time-tested formula for sustainability.

With a humble beginning as a supplier of ethanol plants, today Praj is a globally leading company with a bouquet of sustainable solutions for bioenergy, high purity water, critical process equipment, breweries & industrial wastewater treatment. Our Mission is to develop & deliver cost-effective, safe, clean & reliable solutions that will maximize the prosperity of our customers.

At Praj, our aspiring vision is to be the most preferred organization for all stakeholders through environment-friendly & sustainable solutions that can make the world a better place.

Q: Tell us about your organization. What do you do?

Praj, India’s most accomplished industrial biotechnology company is driven by innovation, integration & delivery capabilities. Over the past 4 decades, Praj has focused on the environment, energy, and Agri-process industry, with 1000++ customer references spanning 100+ countries across 5 continents. BioMobility & Bio-Prism are the mainstays of Praj’s contribution to the global Bioeconomy. The BioMobility platform offers technology solutions globally to produce the renewable transportation fuel, thus ensuring sustainable decarbonization through Circular Bioeconomy. The company’s Bio- Prism portfolio comprises technologies to produce renewable chemicals and materials solutions.

Sustainability is at the core of Praj’s solutions driven by ably supported by its state-of-the-art R&D Center Matrix and manufacturing facilities. Led by an accomplished & caring leadership, Praj is a socially responsible corporate citizen. Headquartered in India.

Q: What stage of development are you?

Commercial stage – have mature products or services on the market.

Q: What do your technologies, products or services do and accomplish – how does it (they) work, who is it (they) aimed for?

The Bio-Energy profile at Praj includes the Biofuels: 1st Gen Ethanol; Advance Biofuels: 2nd Gen Ethanol & Compressed Biogas; Future Fuels: Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Bio-Marine fuel, Bio-Methanol & Bio-Hydrogen. For the Critical Process Equipment & Skids businesses, Praj offers engineering & manufacturing solutions to world leaders in clean tech, green tech, industrial gases, specialty chemicals. For the Brewery & Beverages, we offer customized plants, equip. & tech. sol. to customers with proven expertise ranging from engineering & designing to construction of plants. Praj offers a comprehensive range of solutions for industrial effluent treatment, recycling & ZLD systems to customers across several sectors namely metals, power, fertilizers, refinery & petrochemicals, F&B. Praj Hi Purity Systems offers ultra-high purity water systems, modular process systems & fermentation solutions to customers engaged in biopharmaceuticals, sterile formulations, nutraceutical offerings.

Q: Competitively, what gives your technology, product or service set an edge in cost or performance, sustainability, or any other aspect, that makes it stand out from the crowd, In short, what makes it transformative?

Regulatory norms are becoming more stringent day by day, making Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) solutions an imperative. A ZLD system implies that practically no liquid waste goes outside the boundaries of the manufacturing facility. Praj offers various combinations like recycle & reuse, evaporation & crystallization in designing ZLD systems.

Praj offers a comprehensive range of solutions for industrial effluent treatment, recycling and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems to customers across several sectors namely metals, power, specialty chemicals, fertilizers, refinery & petrochemicals, F&B, etc. Zero Waste and Zero Discharge is an integral part of our DNA which drives the transformative power of sustainability.

Q: What are the 3 top milestones you have accomplished in the past 3 years?

1. 1. 2019: Developed & introduced RenGas technology for Compressed Biogas (CBG).
2. 2. 2020: Inauguration of Nation’s first of its kind Biomass to CBG Demo facility.
3. 3. 2021: Developing innovative technology to produce Bio-bitumen based on lignin, an Eco-friendly renewable material for road construction.

Q: What are the 3 top milestones you will accomplish in the next 3 years?

1. 1. Develop Bio-Prism, a ground-breaking technology for production of Renewable Chemicals & Materials (RCM).
2. 2. Develop Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by processing cane molasses as feedstock.
3. 3. Develop future biofuels such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), BioMarine fuel, bio methanol and biohydrogen

Q. Where can I learn more about Praj Industries?

Click here to visit Praj Industries’ website.