<article><p class="lead">Dutch bioenergy systems supplier HoSt will support India-based BoxLNG to roll out 14 bio-compressed biogas (bio-CBG) projects that will supply roughly 150 t/d of the renewable vehicle fuel.</p><p>BoxLNG will start next month on its first three plants between India's Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra states, with another 11 projects to follow this year. Its first plants will initially use organic industrial waste as feedstock, although the firm intends to broaden raw materials to include agricultural residue, municipal solid waste, sugarcane press mud, distillery spent wash, cattle dung, sewerage treatment and food waste.</p><p>HoSt will deliver investment capital and technical assistance, particularly in biogas purification or removing carbon dioxide and other impurities from the methane produced through anaerobic digestion to make it suitable for use as a fuel. It said it has supplied more than 200 waste-to-bioenergy systems globally. </p><p>India's ministry of petroleum and natural gas has been promoting bio-CBG as an affordable clean transport fuel under its Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (Satat) scheme launched in late in 2018 as part of its national biofuels policy. It aims to establish 15mn t of output across 5,000 plants by 2023-24 to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and natural gas imports, as well as improve agricultural waste management and farmer incomes. </p><p>Satat sees national oil and gas companies guaranteeing offtake from bio-CBG plants for retail at public fuel stations. Supplies started from seven plants by mid-December last year, according to the ministry, though their total capacity was unclear. The ministry had approved another 621 projects from entrepreneurs, while gas firms Adani Gas, Torrent Gas and Petronet LNG have committed to work with technology providers to set up a further 900 plants. </p><p class="bylines">By Lauren Moffitt</p></article>
