JAKARTA - Cow dung in India is now not just waste. Kyodo News quoted Sunday, April 19, reporting that Suzuki Motor Corp. processes it into biogas for vehicle fuel, while opening up additional income for farmers around the factory.
In mid-March, Suzuki showed his biogas facility to reporters in Bhukhala, western Gujarat, India. There, cow manure is fermented for about a month in a large tank. The gas formed is then purified into fuel.
The fuel is distributed to residents around the station through a filling station next to the facility. The waste from the processing is not disposed of, but sold as organic fertilizer.
India has abundant raw materials for this type of model. About 300 million cows are raised in the country, and in the Hindu religion the animal is considered sacred.
Biogas from cow dung can be used for vehicles that run on compressed natural gas or compressed natural gas. This type of car produces lower carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline cars. Currently, CNG vehicles account for about a fifth of the Indian automotive market.
As written by Kyodo News, the use of cow dung also helps reduce methane emissions. If the waste is left, the gas will be released into the atmosphere and add to the global warming burden.
The capacity of this plant is also not small. The facilities at Bhukhala are capable of processing up to 100 tons of cow manure per day and producing around 1.5 tons of biogas. This amount is enough to supply around 850 vehicles per day.
Suzuki buys cow dung from farmers around for 1 rupee per kilogram. With this pattern, the average household can get an additional income of around 72,000 rupees per year, or around US$775.
Currently, Suzuki operates two biogas plants in India and plans to build seven more. A company official said the operation would be expanded to various regions in India.
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