Relevance: GS-3 (Environment, Agriculture, Renewable Energy)
 Source: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; Indian Express

India produces over 500 million tonnes of crop residue annually; Punjab and Haryana alone generate ~30 million tonnes of paddy stubble. New projects show that converting stubble into compressed biogas, pellets and bio-CNG can unlock a ₹270-crore annual market, reducing open burning and pollution.

Waste-to-Energy: The Process

Stubble and biomass are converted into energy through:

  • Anaerobic digestion: Stubble is broken down without oxygen to produce biogas, which is purified into bio-CNG.
  • Torrefaction/pelletisation: Biomass is mildly heated and compressed into energy-dense pellets for power plants.
  • Pyrolysis: Biomass is heated in zero oxygen to yield bio-oil, bio-gas, and biochar.

Challenges, Solutions and Benefits

Challenges

 Solutions

Benefits
High collection cost Farmer cooperatives, machinery banks Reduces stubble burning
Limited processing units Faster clearances, viability gap funding Creates rural jobs
Low awareness Extension services, FPO involvement Supports clean energy, SDGs 7 & 13

Q. In waste-to-energy systems using crop residue, which of the following processes can generate bio-CNG?

  1. Anaerobic digestion
  2. Gasification
  3. Pyrolysis

Select the correct answer:
 A. 1 only;  B. 1 and 2 only; 

C. 2 and 3 only;  D. 1, 2 and 3

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