Japan’s Suzuki Motor Unveils 2nd Biogas Plant in India

Bhukhala, India, March 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp. has unveiled to the media its second biogas plant in India, which processes cow dung to produce methane for compressed natural gas vehicles. The plant in Bhukhala, Gujarat, shown on Thursday, ferments cow dung collected from farmers and extracts methane, which is sold at an attached filling station. Biogas derived from cow dung is considered a carbon-neutral fuel and contributes to raising farmers’ incomes. The plant was built as part of a demonstration project launched by the vehicle maker mainly in cooperation with a local dairy industry association. The facility, which opened in January, processes 100 tons of cow dung per day and produces about 1.5 tons of biogas daily. Suzuki Motor plans to sell leftover cow dung, from which methane was collected, as organic fertilizer, because it is difficult to make the operation viable through gas sales alone. In India, cows are considered sacred, with their population estimated at 300 million. The daily amount of dung from 10 cows is said to be enough for one CNG vehicle to travel about 60 kilometers. “We hope to eventually spread (such biogas plants) across India,” said Hiroyuki Yamano of Suzuki Motor’s biogas business division. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]