Global energy markets are volatile and India relies heavily on imported fossil fuels. Waste-to-energy technologies are demonstrating that a circular economy can provide reliable alternatives — while insulating the country from external geopolitical disruptions.
The scarcity of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), along with broader energy fluctuations, hits the bottom lines of industries and household budgets — highlighting the need for stable, domestic alternatives. Bioenergy is a promising alternative that can leverage India's massive agricultural output along with organic refuse.
"India's energy dependence on imports remains one of our biggest long-term vulnerabilities. We still import more than 85% of our crude oil requirements, so naturally, any global fuel disruption eventually impacts industries, businesses, and even household energy costs here. This is exactly why bioenergy is becoming increasingly important in the Indian context."
Decentralising the energy grid through localised biomass utilisation offers a direct path to self-reliance and keeps revenue within rural ecosystems.
"What makes bioenergy practical for India is that it allows us to convert locally available waste and biomass into usable energy. Whether it is Bio-CNG, syngas or ethanol, these solutions help to create a more decentralised and self-reliant energy ecosystem. In many applications today, Bio-CNG can replace LPG and natural gas, while syngas is proving to be a very effective industrial fuel alternative for thermal applications and process heating."
"India is uniquely positioned because we already have a very strong agricultural ecosystem and a large amount of underutilised biomass available every year. Even a partial shift towards bioenergy at scale can create a meaningful impact on fuel imports, waste management, and rural economic development. Over the next decade, I see bioenergy becoming an important part of India's supplementary energy mix."
Converting discarded organic material into an engineered fuel that matches the performance of LPG or natural gas requires distinct chemical processing pathways tuned to the moisture content of the feedstock.
"The technologies themselves are already proven. The larger focus today is on scaling these systems efficiently and integrating them into mainstream industrial and energy applications."
"India has enormous untapped potential in this area. The country generates nearly 750 million tonnes of biomass annually, out of which close to 230 million tonnes is considered surplus and remains largely underutilised. If this biomass is effectively utilised through gasification and anaerobic digestion, studies suggest it could potentially offset nearly one-third of India's oil imports. That is a very significant number when we look at the country's long-term energy security goals."
"The opportunity is not only about clean energy. It is equally about decarbonisation, converting waste into economic value, supporting rural livelihoods, and building a more circular and sustainable energy ecosystem."
The opportunity is extremely large — but scaling bioenergy solutions requires much stronger ecosystem development.
"The transition will be gradual, shaped by policy support, infrastructure development, technology adoption and market confidence. But over the next decade, bioenergy can certainly evolve into a mainstream supplementary energy source, playing a meaningful role in strengthening energy security while supporting decarbonisation goals."
A significant portion of the biomass comes from Ganda Baval, an invasive weed species that has affected fertile land in Gujarat for years. Using Ankur Scientific's gasification technology, this biomass is converted into syngas, which is then processed further into green methanol — a cleaner fuel alternative for ships and maritime applications.
"For us, this project represents the larger direction in which the industry is moving. It shows how locally available biomass and waste can be converted into globally relevant clean fuels, even for hard-to-decarbonise sectors like shipping. More importantly, it demonstrates that sustainability and industrial-scale energy solutions can go hand in hand when the right technologies are applied effectively."
India's waste is not a problem to be managed.
It is a resource waiting to be unlocked.
Bioenergy is the bridge — from fossil dependence to domestic energy resilience.
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