Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) is aiming to ensure that at least 10 per cent of LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) will be produced from biomass, a senior official in the R and D wing of IOCL said on Friday. When put in use, this would be cost-effective, he said adding that their research has shown that LPG can be produced from sources such as vegetable oil, biomass and glycerol. This would be done in tandem with a decision taken by the World LPG Association to have at least 50 per cent of LPG from biomass, including vegetable waste, by 2040, S S V Ramkumar said.
While addressing at the inauguration of the two-day national LPG Conclave 2020 on Friday, he said that IOCL is in process of developing LPG from biomass and this will bear fruit in another two to three years. The company wants at least 10-20 per cent of LPG gas consumption in the country should be from renewable sources in three years, he said.
Indian Oil is working on technology to scale up the production, where biomass can be converted into LPG. “The technology to convert glycerol, vegetable oil or even biomass into LPG is present already but yet to mature,” Ramkumar said.
The potential for LPG being used in industrial and commercial purposes was also discussed. CNG (compressed natural gas) is autogas in our country, which is slightly more efficient than LPG, he further added. He also said that promoting LPG as an auto fuel has potential. The company has developed a technology to extract auto LPG directly from fossil fuels. LPG produces less NOX and methane which makes it a cleaner form of energy. “CNG may give 1KM more mileage than LPG per kilogram, but it gives more NOX and methane slip emissions, which are polluting, ” Rajkumar said.
Besides that, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd managing director S N Pandey in his address highlighted that the demand for the kerosene had come down due to the availability of alternate fuels, and would not be used after 2040.
