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 Climate Change

Air Quality
Published on: Aug. 11, 2020, 9:26 a.m.
Praj, ARAI join to clear the air
  • Chaudhari and Marathe are looking at reducing vehicle emissions

By Sekhar Seshan. Consulting Editor, Business India

TEMPO: technology, engineering, manufacturing, project management, operations. The Pune-headquartered process engineering company Praj Industries has extended this definition to its new tie-up with the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), aimed at creating a positive impact on environment and society. “The projects we undertake jointly will develop application technologies to reinforce our Bio-Mobility (TM) platform,” says Dr. Pramod Chaudhari, executive chairman of Praj. “This platform offers technology solutions globally to produce carbon-neutral transportation fuel from bio-based feedstock for all modes of mobility.”

ARAI, for its part, is keen on the alliance driving green fuel technologies for transportation, which as its officiating director N.V. Marathe points out will reduce carbon footprint and improve tailpipe emissions, making a positive impact on the environment. “It is important how we accelerate India’s access to affordable and cleaner energy encompassing bioeconomy,” he says. “This partnership will unlock enduring worth of sustainable mobility for India.”

The two organisations will jointly drive application development of advanced biofuels for use in both industry and transportation. Biofuels are derived by processing bio-based feedstock like agricultural residue, molasses and cane syrup. As a renewable energy source for transportation fuel in gaseous as well as liquid form, biofuels complement fossil fuels like petrol, diesel and aviation fuels. Since bio-based feedstock is a captive source, biofuels facilitate energy self-reliance while helping conserve the environment. 

Praj and ARAI will jointly address technologies to propagate use of biofuels in a variety of applications including usage in internal combustion engines (ICE) for cars and other vehicles. While the former has expertise of over three decades in developing and deploying biofuel technology solutions through its TEMPO business model, the latter is an R&D major with vast experience in the field of alternative fuels, green and sustainable mobility. ARAI is working closely with the department of heavy industry (DHI), the energy vertical of Niti Aayog, and the ministries of petroleum and natural gas, and road transport and highways, to develop regulations and demonstrate technology competence in various alternative fuels.

The transportation sector is the single largest consumer of imported crude oil and natural gas for petroleum products andthe vehicle population growing across all modes of transport – surface, air and marine – it is also the third largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world after the power sector and industry. India, as a signatory to the Paris summit to reduce GHG emissions by 30-35 per cent, has to redefine its transportation fuel mix. Advanced biofuels technology applications that will be developed as a part of this association will help curtail health hazards attributable to the air pollution in transportation sector. The complementary strengths in technology and application brought together under the MoU promise to create and commercialise newer fuels with improved efficiencies.


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