Biogas: A power to empower India’s agricultural transformation

As the global population surged past 8 billion in 2022 and is projected to exceed 9 billion within the next decade, the demand for food is escalating exponentially. However, this surge in demand is occurring against a backdrop of diminishing cultivable land. Since 1961, the world’s arable land has decreased by a third, primarily due to soil degradation, depleting water resources, and the erratic weather patterns driven by global warming.

Agriculture, while heavily impacted by these environmental challenges, urgently needs the right intervention in the form of sustainable farming. These practices are essential to enhance crop quality and in the long run, yield too while preserving soil health and safeguarding the environment. Adopting sustainable methods is not merely a choice but a crucial imperative to ensure food security and environmental sustainability for future generations.

Biogas plants play a crucial role in sustainable agricultural practices by generating both energy and biofertilizer called Fermented Organic Manure (FOM). Analysing the entire value chain reveals that biogas systems offer numerous economic and environmental benefits to the farming sector. This multifaceted approach results in a win-win situation, delivering technical, financial, and social advantages.

Benefits of Biogas in Farming

• Organic waste management – Organic wastes in open areas generate greenhouse gases, and the runoff from the landfill pollutes soil and water. On the other hand, biogas plants use organic wastes as raw materials. Plant and animal wastes can be fed into biogas plants. As per recent research, India’s potential annual biogas output of 74.795 billion m3, could stem from a wide range of organic substrates. Agricultural residue accounts for 51.93 per cent of this total, followed by animal waste at 29.14 per cent. Crop residue and animal manure account for over 90 per cent of the overall potential. It is worthwhile to note that the salient outputs through the installation of biogas/ CBG plants shall result in a minimum of 62.2 million tonnes of bio-CNG generation along with the production of about 658.42 million tonnes of bio/organic fertilizer annually.

• Reduced dependence on fossil fuels – Synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides are made from fossil fuels, which results in an increased carbon footprint. Using the digestate from biogas plants as organic fertilizer helps to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. The biogas generated in the plants can also produce heat and electricity and vehicular fuel to meet the farm’s energy requirements.

Also, India is slated to achieve its short-term and long-term targets under the Panchamrit action plan, like- reaching a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030; fulfilling at least half of its energy requirements via renewable energy by 2030; reducing CO2 emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030; reducing carbon intensity below 45 per cent by 2030; and finally pave the way for achieving a Net-Zero emission target by 2070.

Also, replacing natural gas consumption with biogas and biomethane incrementally to 20 per cent by 2030 can help India cut liquefied natural gas (LNG) import bills by $29 billion between 2025 and 2030 fiscal years, taking a compounded annual growth rate of 22 per cent in the natural gas sector and based on the assumption of 550 million standard cubic meters per day (MSCMD) of gas consumption in 2030 and varying import prices for each year.

• Increased plant growth – The absorption of essential nutrients like Nitrogen and phosphorus improves with digestate. Digestate contains essential plant nutrients such as potassium and sulfur and micronutrients such as zinc, copper, and boron along with organic Carbon. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, the nutrients in digestate are released gradually, which increases their efficiency. Proper absorption of nutrients increases plant growth by 10 to 30 per cent.

• Improves soil fertility – Regularly using synthetic fertilizers over a long period reduces soil fertility. Digestate generated in the biogas plants contains rich organic matter. Application of digestate to the soil improves the quality of the soil microbiome and the overall soil structure. Digestate also increases the soil’s water-retention capacity, makes it nutrient-rich, and helps maintain the soil’s pH level, making it suitable for optimum plant growth.

• Better farm economics – Biogas plants help farmers reduce costs by generating energy, producing organic fertilizer, and managing waste while creating an additional revenue stream or saving through the biogas plant products. This comprehensive solution makes farming operations more efficient and sustainable. The Market Development Assistance (MDA) scheme is available in the form of ₹1,500 per tonne to support the marketing of Fermented Organic Manures (FOM)/Liquid FOM/Phosphate Rich Organic Manures (PROM) produced as by-products from Biogas Plants/Compressed Biogas (CBG) Plants set up under umbrella GOBARdhan initiative.

Several institutions in India have set up biogas plants and reaped the environmental and economic benefits. The biogas plant at Muni Seva Ashram, Goraj, Gujarat, exemplifies how biogas plants can benefit farmers and society. The ashram has three biogas plants that convert the organic waste produced in the ashram kitchens and gaushalas into clean biogas and digestate. The biogas is used as cooking fuel in the Ashram kitchens after upgrading, and the digestate is used as fertilizer in the gardens. They also distribute the digestate to the small and marginal farmers in the neighboring areas.

Many other states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat have successfully set up biogas plants to integrate renewable energy and sustainable farming practices.

Biogas plants hold a significant potential to revolutionise Indian agriculture. Biogas Industry can provide sustainable solutions for achieving energy security while addressing crucial issues such as waste management, improving farmer incomes, and mitigating environmental impacts. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy implements several programmes that provide subsidies, financial incentives, technical assistance, and handholding guidance to implement biogas technology. However, a lot needs to be done to create awareness amongst Indian farmers about the advantages of biogas. The government’s continued support is required to ensure the scaling up of biogas production to realise the full potential of the socio-economic and environmental benefits along with the active participation of several stakeholders of the whole biogas value chain.

(The author is President, Indian Biogas Association)