About 20,830 metric tonnes of biomass, of which paddy straw is a component, has been used so far in seven thermal power plants in the NCR, and the tendering process for use of another 43 lakh metric tonnes is underway. This is according to data presented at a session on agricultural stubble management during a discussion on measures to reduce air pollution in Delhi-NCR organized by the Air Quality Management Commission (CAQM) last week.
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Using paddy straw in power plants is one way to minimize stubble burning. CAQM member secretary Arvind Nautiyal said the commission has mandated 11 thermal power plants located within a 300-km radius around Delhi to co-fire biomass with coal from 5% to 10% of their coal requirement. Statutory instructions were issued by replacing it. Biomass. These instructions were issued in September last year. According to another presentation by NTPC, out of 11 power plants in NCR, seven are co-firing coal with biomass. Two of these plants are operated by NTPC, which functions under the central government, and five under other organisations. Power plants need to make maximum use of paddy straw.
Nautiyal said that about 1.16 million tonnes of crop residue in Punjab is being used through ‘ex-situ’ stubble management methods such as use in biomass power plants.
Straw uses include power generation, fuel for industrial boilers, manure, and as a packaging material. The quantity being utilized is a tiny fraction of the total quantity of straw generated in Punjab, which stood at 18.74 million tonnes in 2021. About 6.8 million tonnes of straw was generated in Haryana.
Nautiyal said industries in the NCR are allowed to use biomass fuels other than PNG and other clean fuels like propane, butane or LPG. He said that ex-situ management of stubble calls for mapping of straw availability and demand from sources in all districts.
“Supply is not an issue; It is a matter of logistics. The straw will not be used in the form it is, it will have to be processed and made into briquettes, pellets, or the way demanded by the industry. The key is to store, transport, process the straw and then make it available for perennial use,” he said.
On in-situ management of stubble, in which crop residues are managed in the field using machines, Nautiyal said, “The issue is not about the availability of machines. They are quite large in number, more than 2 lakhs. The issue is how to map the requirement and optimize their availability during the harvest season. Although the means are available, outreach was not as much, and despite the availability of machines, there was not much use on the field. ,
The bio-decomposer, a solution sprayed on the stubble to help it decompose, is to be used in “complementary mode” with machines, Nautiyal said.