India holds meeting focused on using degraded land for biomass cultivation

Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, outlined the potential for seaweed cultivation in bioenergy production, aligning with India’s broader Deep Ocean Mission.

India has taken a significant step forward in its green energy initiatives with a high-level meeting convened today, May 14, 2024, at the Vigyan Bhawan Annexe in New Delhi, focused on leveraging degraded land for biomass cultivation aimed at green biohydrogen production. The gathering, led by Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, brought together key stakeholders from government ministries, research institutes, and knowledge partners.

The meeting aimed to kickstart a series of discussions to formulate an action plan for enhancing the country's green hydrogen production through the use of biomass. Prof. Sood emphasized the importance of understanding the biomass cultivation ecosystem in India as a critical objective of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which includes initiating focused pilot projects for biomass-based green hydrogen.

Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, outlined the potential for seaweed cultivation in bioenergy production, aligning with India's broader Deep Ocean Mission. Meanwhile, Dr. A. Velmurugan of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research highlighted various plant sources such as algae, molasses, and sugarcane as viable for green energy production.

Dr. Sangita M Kature of the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy discussed the ministry's bioenergy programs and the National Biomass Atlas, which provides data on agricultural residue surplus. Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy's Dr. G. Sridhar detailed the role of agricultural residual biomass in green hydrogen production.

The session also featured insights from Dr. Prakash Chauhan of ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre on utilizing the Bhuvan portal for data on available biomass and mapping degraded lands. Additional contributions came from government officials discussing policies related to land degradation neutrality and innovative uses of plants like spineless cactus for hydrogen production.

Summarizing the outcomes, Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary in the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, highlighted the need to develop strategies for both terrestrial and marine biomass cultivation, focusing on the efficient generation of biomass with minimal resource use. Prof. Sood concluded the meeting by underscoring the necessity of identifying suitable government-owned and private lands for biomass cultivation. This initiative is expected to reduce India's dependency on fuel imports, support local economies, and contribute significantly to sustainable bioenergy production, while maintaining ecological diversity.