Biotech student pushes the use of bio waste to create green fuel

Research is not always about discovering something new. It should have some application which benefits the society
For Saurabh Singh, a Biotech student, the best way to use organic waste is by producing bioethanol, a clean fuel which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Saurabh, a native of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, is working on microbial co-culture (use of microorganism such as bacteria, fungus), considered as a producer of bioethanol.Though India is at a nascent stage when it comes to using bioethanol as a fuel, it can prove to be a beneficial idea of making effective use of bio-waste.
It was his love for innovation in the field of the biomass and bio-energy that prompted him to opt for the Biotechnology programme. During his recent visit to Lisbon for 27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition’ (EUBCE), he realised the need to intensify research to utilise fruit waste material for the production of bioethanol.
For ethanol production in India, says Saurabh, farmers should be encouraged to cultivate energy crops such as sugarcane, beetroot, and corn. The cellulose-containing waste released from these products can be utilised for ethanol production . “Since there is limited awareness, we are unable to make use of this natural fuel,” he says. In India, sugarcane molasses is the major resource for bioethanol production and inconsistency of raw material supply is majorly responsible for a sluggish response to ethanol blending targets. Also there is limited availability of blend wall and transportation-storage, adds Saurabh.
He is also working on a project called ‘comparative evaluation of methods for Bio-ethanol production from co-cultures of Zymomonas mobilis (a bacteria) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast)’ in his MSc Biotechnology programme at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Punjab.
“The project is about the production of bio-ethanol using the co-culture method. Co-culture means growing more than one microorganism. Co-culture creates more products as compared to what one can obtain through individual microorganism,” says Saurabh, who aspires to join a global or Indian or global research institution such as CSIR, DBT, IIT or IISc as a scientist and continue his work to develop cost-effective technology to produce biofuels.
Growth
“Due to the influx of substantial investment, the Indian biotechnology sector is expected to become USD100 billion by 2025 so the demand for biotech scholars will improve in the time to come,” Saurabh adds while talking to Education Times.
Although India is home to more than 1000 biotechnology startups, there is a need to have more set up that helps in creating an environment-friendly system.