Northumbria University academics land funds for Pakistani agri waste biofuel plant demo
Every winter, farmers across Punjab burn millions of tonnes of cotton stalks and sugarcane waste in their fields because there is no other use for it. The practice contributes to air pollution levels five to seven times above World Health Organisation limits and is a major driver of Pakistan’s seasonal smog.
At the same time, Pakistan imports around 19 million tonnes of coal every year at a cost of more than $2.5 billion, while rural communities in South Punjab endure power cuts of up to 18 hours a day.
The new project, called SAFER PLUS, turns cotton stalks and sugarcane waste into engineered bio-coal pellets through a heating process known as torrefaction.
The pellets can potentially replace imported coal in brick kilns and textile mill boilers at 40 to 50 per cent lower cost, with no modifications needed to existing equipment
The process also captures surplus heat, which will be piped to local handmade textile dyeing workshops, as well as generating electricity from its own gases to power off-grid households, and producing wood vinegar, which is a natural pesticide sold directly to farmers. Once running, the system powers itself, requiring no external fuel, making it fully sustainable.
Category: Fuels
