Guwahati: Tezpur University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state run Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for the promotion of compressed biogas in the Northeast on January 20.

The registrar of Tezpur University Dr. Biren Das and General Manager ( Alternate Energy) and In-charge of Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) & Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) in Planning & Business Development Group of Indian Oil Bijay Kumar of IOCL signed the MoU in a function held at the Council Hall of the university.

The MoU was signed in presence of several members of the university and delegates of an ongoing event jointly organised by DST-TEC and IPR Cell of the University.
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The Professor of the Department of Energy and Director of the Centre for Multidisciplinary Research Debendra Chandra Baruah presented a brief overview of the MoU at the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Professor Debanth Chandra Baruah said that Tezpur University has been engaged in promoting biogas through target-oriented research and several locally available biomasses have been identified as a promising feedstock for the generation of fuel (biogas) and organic fertilizer with assured recycling of crop nutrients. Such ongoing research and development (R&D) on biogas will boost up further to benefit the region through the signing of the MoU with Indian Oil Corporation Limited.

The research work on biogas inside the Tezpur University campus, especially the production of biomethane and organic fertilizer using a range of plant residue biomasses and organic waste had drawn the attention of IOCL during earlier visits of its officials to the university campus which finally culminated in the formal collaboration and signing of the MoU, said Bijay Kumar.

He said this while expressing his faith that entire northeast region would get benefit through the Government of India’s SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) scheme which is aimed at setting up of industrial scale Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants and make it available for use in automotive fuel.

Considering the distinct and untapped benefits of biogas technology for the gainful utilization of surplus biomass resources, the MoU is expected to contribute to faster deployment in the entire North East.

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