On October 14, 2019, Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Madras has signed a 5-year joint research agreement with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE), the research and engineering arm of ExxonMobil Corporation, for research in biofuels, data analytics, gas conversion and transport, and finding low-emission solutions.
Key points:
i. This agreement is in line with the central Government’s new ‘biofuel policy’, which targets to convert the country’s biofuel industry into a $15.6 billion economy.
ii. The agreement has been signed by Dr. Vijay Swarup, Vice President of Research and Development, EMRE, and Prof Ravindra Gettu, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT Madras.
iii. EMRE is the leading global oil, natural gas, and petrochemical firm and since 2000, it has spent over $9 billion for developing and deploying lower-emissions energy solutions. It also works in association with more than 80 universities around the world.
iv. Globally, India is the 3rd highest producer of agro-residues after China and Brazil with the surplus potential of over 230 million tonnes per year.
Policy of Biofuels:
It categorizes the biofuels called Basic Biofuels into 3 categories which include:
i. First Generation (1G) ,bioethanol & biodiesel
ii.“Advanced Biofuels”, Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels and
iii. Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG (Compressed natural gas ) among others to enable an extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category.
About ExxonMobil:
♦ Headquarters: Texas, United States
♦ Chairman and CEO: Darren W. Woods