India produces ~750 MMT of agricultural biomass every year.
Yet nearly 200 MMT still goes unused or burned.
A recent assessment by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) highlights how this structural gap is directly linked to the air pollution crisis in Delhi NCR.
Some key observations:
🔹 Transport contributes ~23% of winter PM2.5 pollution
🔹 Biomass burning contributes ~20% (crop residue, MSW, residential fuel)
🔹 Dust and construction contribute ~15% in winter and up to ~27% in summer
🔹 Average winter PM2.5 levels reach ~178 µg/m³, compared to ~73 µg/m³ in summer
But the challenge is not only emissions. It is systems and infrastructure.
• Biomass and waste are geographically dispersed
• Collection windows are short and seasonal
• Aggregation and logistics networks remain fragmented
• Reliable industrial offtake mechanisms are still evolving
As a result, large volumes of surplus biomass continue to be burned instead of being productively utilised.
At Encito Advisors, the CAQM findings match what we see in the market. The real gap is not awareness of the problem. The real gap is the industrial infrastructure needed to aggregate biomass and the technology required for its efficient utilisation at scale.
On the supply side, players like PRESPL, BiofuelCircle, Biofuels Junction Pvt Ltd and others are building the aggregation and logistics infrastructure needed to make biomass a reliable, bankable fuel source.
Companies such as Steamax Envirocare, developing engineered biomass fuel, boiler retrofit tech and Steam-as-a-Service models for industrial clients, illustrate how integrated solutions are beginning to emerge within this ecosystem.
Scaling these platforms will be critical to hashtag#industrialdecarbonization and closing the hashtag#circularity loop.
Encito Advisors LLP
Suite 01A118, Raheja Platinum,
Sag Baug Rd., Marol, Andheri (E),
Mumbai 400059, India
+91 99877 13480
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