Russia and India initiate fuel and chemicals project

The joint project focuses on the development of an integrated, sustainable biorefinery for local lignocellulosic feedstocks.

Russian and Indian scientists will join forces to develop technologies for producing fuels and chemicals from biomass within a 3-year period for a biorefinery project.

Representatives of the Institute of Catalysis, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Novosibirsk, Russia, and India’s Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) said at a joint news conference they hope this will overcome the lowered levels of crude oil supplies.

The Russian Ministry of Science and Education and Indian Ministry for Science and Technology are co-investors of the project that will use cellulose fibre in its refinery. Of the total investment volume of $600,000 (€503,000) planned for the next 3 years, Russia will account for $490,000 and India for $110,000.

Dr. K. Ramasamy, TNAU, said increased concern over security of oil supply and the negative impact of fossil fuels on the environment, particularly greenhouse gas emissions, has put pressure on the society to find renewable fuel alternatives.

‘India, being a tropical country, receives more than 12 hours of intense sunlight per day, which allows its nature to generate a huge amount of biomass,’ Dr. K. Ramasamy said. ‘This cheap raw material can be successfully used for the production of chemical ingredients and fuel for transport vehicle, and we hope to successfully fulfil this task with the help of Russian colleagues in the near future.’