Cassava as feedstock for bioethanol production
- ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) finds cassava (tapioca) as a promising raw material for bioethanol production to meet India’s Ethanol Blending Petrol (EBP) programme target of 2025.
- Its starch with its unique physico-chemical and functional properties finds extensive applications in the food and industrial sectors.
About Cassava (Tapioca)
- Tapioca, known as 'maracheeni' or 'kappacheeni"" in Malayalam is a crop plant cultivated in all dry soils in Travancore.
- There are a number of comparative advantages for cassava as a biofuel crop vis-à-vis sugarcane.
- The agricultural residues of cassava such as peels, stems and leaves are potential feedstock for 2G bioethanol production.
Its Production:
- Tapioca production is estimated at 4.98 million tonnes with major production from Tamil Nadu, followed by Kerala.
- Expansion of cultivation is taking place to non-traditional areas like Maharashtra to meet the projected demand for starch in the coming decade.
Targets for India:
- India has to produce 1,016 crore litres of ethanol for blending programmes apart from 334 crore litres for other uses as part of the EBP target by 2025.
- But the current ethanol production capacity is 426 crore litres from sugarcane-based distilleries and 258 crore litres from grain-based distilleries.
- To meet the target of 1,350 crore litres, production has to be increased to 760 crore litres from molasses and 740 crore litres from grain-based distilleries.
- This necessitates the search for alternative feedstock.
R&D Status in India on it:
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CTCRI has developed novel enzyme technology for the production of ethanol from cassava starch/flour, there is a need for a pilot study for analysing its economic viability.
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The oversupply of tubers in Kerala due to the widespread cultivation of cassava under the Subiksha Keralam project has caused a market glut.
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There is a need for exploring new ways to help farmers to get a remunerative price and to reduce post-harvest loss"