Bioethanol from Congress grass

 Bioethanol from Congress grass

In order to deal with Congress grass a lab of the Department of Microbiology Kurukshetra University is making efforts to produce bioethanol from it

In order to deal with Congress grass, a lab of the Department of Microbiology, Kurukshetra University, is making efforts to produce bioethanol from it. The lab started working on the project in 2013. Earlier, the aim was to find a solution to control Congress grass but after not getting much success, it started working to find ways to utilise Congress grass in 2014.

Neeraj Kumar, Chairman of the Department of Microbiology, Kurukshetra University, says, “We are working on the project for the last six years. Congress grass is one of the world’s most devastating weeds. It was accidentally imported into India as a contaminant along with a variety of wheat and since then it has spread to all states of India”. Neeraj Kumar along with his students has been working on the project.

Congress grass is estimated to have covered around 40 million hectares in India. It has been found to have invaded agricultural fields.

Neeraj Kumar says, “The management of this dangerous weed is a serious concern all over the world. There is need to make people aware about the ill-effects of Congress grass, as in ignorance of its environmental consequences, people burn it to remove it, adding to pollution. Many chemicals, sprays and biological methods are also used for its control but no one method is effective enough to eradicate it completely”.

“Another common practice is manual uprooting, which has dangerous effects on labour. The exposure of human beings to Congress grass and its seeds causes various health problems such as contact dermatitis, immunity loss, diarrhoea, asthma, hay fever, peeling skin, swelling and itching of mouth and nose, and constant cough. Grazing of this plant results in ulceration, diarrhoea and dermatitis in livestock animals. In milk or meat producing animals, it causes tainting of milk and meat with the toxin. A historical report has shown immense loss to the cattle industry due to the consumption of this weed by animals,” he adds.

Neeraj Kunar says, “In the past few years, large-scale utilisation of the weed has been suggested as a propitious approach for its management. The plant has the potential to be utilised for the production of biogas and cellulose, pulp and paper making, composting, and green manuring. The utilisation of the biomass of Congress grass at a large scale for cellulosic ethanol production not only proposes a solution to weed control but also the availability of a non-conventional feedstock for the second generation bioethanol”.

Recently, the Haryana State Council for Science and Technology sanctioned a project to Neeraj Kumar under which the biomass of the weed would be utilised for bioethanol production. “The utilisation of Congress grass biomass for bioethanol production will not only offer a constructive approach for the management of this weed but also a potent solution to the issue of the energy crisis as well as environmental pollution due to traditionally used fossil fuels,” he says.

Potential of biogas production

}In the past few years, large-scale utilisation of Congress grass has been suggested as a propitious approach for its management. The weed has the potential to be utilised for the production of biogas and cellulose, pulp and paper making, composting, and green manuring.— Neeraj Kumar, Chairman of Department of Microbiology, Kurukshetra University