"With Biorefineries as integrated hubs, producing energy and sustainable materials, the aviation sector remains the next big frontier

Praj Industries is India's leading company in the field of bio-based technologies and engineering with presence all over the world.

- ATUL MULAY, Chairperson, Bioenergy Committee of Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE) & President BioEnergy, Praj Industries

Praj is a globally leading company with a bouquet of sustainable solutions for bioenergy, high purity water, critical process equipment, breweries and industrial wastewater treatment. In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Atul Mulay, Chairperson, Bioenergy Committee of Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE) & President BioEnergy, Praj Industries takes us through India's bioenergy initiatives to achieve the target of net zero by 2070 and latest innovations and technologies in bioenergy sector. Edited excerpts:

How is Praj Industries contributing to the growth of the bioenergy sector through its new technologies and innovations?

At Praj, we don't just look at bioenergy as a business vertical—we see it as a national capability. The way we see it, the transition to a low-carbon economy isn't only about fuels. It's about building an entire ecosystem that spans feedstock, technology, and end-use readiness.

The aviation sector is the next big frontier. We've developed the alcohol-to-jet pathway and are building out commercial-scale SAF building blocks—this was demonstrated in India's first commercial flight using indigenous SAF: AirAsia India's flight i5-767 from Pune to New Delhi, powered by SAF produced by Praj in partnership with IOCL, received by Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas in May 2023. Further reinforcing our leadership, in January 2024, Puri inaugurated Praj's SAF demonstration facility at our R&D Center in Pune, confirming our readiness to scale.