Kerala: CSIR-NIIST and start-up join hands to validate fruit-based bioethanol technology
Thiruvananthapuram, July 2
In a move that could open new avenues for sustainable biofuel production and reduce post-harvest losses in the horticulture sector, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology at Thiruvananthapuram has entered into a partnership with Hyderabad-based biotechnology start-up 3CousinLabs to evaluate the commercial potential of producing ethanol from seasonal fruits.
The collaboration, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Thursday, will focus on a consultancy project titled "Pilot-Scale and Feasibility Studies for the Production of Ethanol from Fruit Pulp and Juices".
The MoU was exchanged between CSIR-NIIST Director C. Anandharamakrishnan and 3CousinLabs Managing Director P. Srinivas in the presence of scientists, company representatives and project collaborators.
The project seeks to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of converting a wide range of seasonal fruits available in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana into bioethanol.
The technology, developed by 3CousinLabs, is designed to transform fruit pulp and juices into ethanol, with CSIR-NIIST providing pilot-scale validation, process optimisation and engineering support before commercial deployment.
As part of the study, CSIR-NIIST will conduct pilot-scale trials in batches of 150-200 litres to generate critical engineering data for technology validation, scale-up and techno-economic assessment.
The findings are expected to support the establishment of decentralised bioethanol production units that utilise locally available seasonal fruits.
The initiative offers a productive use for surplus, unsold and processing-grade fruits that are often wasted because of their perishable nature.
Converting such produce into bioethanol could help reduce post-harvest losses, improve resource efficiency and create an additional income stream for farmers and farmer producer organisations.
The project is also aligned with the Centre's Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, which encourages diversification of feedstocks for ethanol production to strengthen India's renewable energy ecosystem and bioeconomy.
Officials said the technology could also contribute to rural livelihoods by creating new markets for seasonal fruits and promoting value addition within the horticulture sector while advancing circular economy principles through the conversion of agricultural surplus into clean, renewable energy.
3CousinLabs, incubated at the Atal Incubation Centre-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology Medical Biotechnology Complex in Hyderabad, has developed processes to produce bioethanol from fruits such as mango, pineapple, watermelon, jackfruit and tomato.
The pilot-scale validation at CSIR-NIIST is expected to pave the way for wider industrial adoption of the technology.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Looks promising but I have concerns. What about the food vs fuel debate? If we divert fruits to ethanol, won't that increase prices for consumers? Also, the ethanol blending programme already struggles with sugarcane shortages. Hope they've thought this through properly.
As someone from Andhra, this is huge! Every summer we see tonnes of mangoes rotting. If this tech works, it's a game-changer for our farmers. 150-200 litre batches is a good start. Hope CSIR-NIIST and 3CousinLabs deliver quickly. Need more such Make in India innovations!
Interesting development. Back in the UK, we've been doing this with food waste for years. But using seasonal fruits specifically is smart - it creates a circular economy at the local level. Good to see India leading on this in the tropical fruit space!
Govt's Ethanol Blended Petrol programme needed this diversification. Sugarcane alone can't meet 20% blending targets. Jackfruit ethanol sounds wild! But will it be cost-competitive with petrol? That's the real question. Also, what about water footprint of growing fruits for fuel?
Nice to see tech transfer between Hyderabad and Kerala. The decentralized production model makes sense for India's geography - each region can process its own fruit waste. Hope they consider tomatoes too; we waste tons during gluts. This could really help Karnataka's tomato farmers!
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