Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) signs MoU with Tezpur University

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) signs MoU with Tezpur University for promotion of compressed biogas in northeast India

Tezpur, January 21: Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tezpur University for promotion of compressed biogas in Northeast India. The MoU was signed by Dr Biren Das, Registrar on behalf of Tezpur University and Bijay Kumar on behalf of IOCL in a function held at the Council Hall of the University in the presence of several members of the University and delegates of an on-going event jointly organized by DST-TEC and IPR Cell of the University.

Prof Debendra Chandra Baruah, Professor, Department of Energy and Director of Centre for Multidisciplinary Research presented a brief overview of the MoU at the event.

Prof Dhruba Kumar Bhattacharyya, acting Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University and Mr. Bijay Kumar, General Manager (Alternate Energy Division), IOCL expressed their happiness over the signing of memorandum of understanding, which will strengthen industry-academia collaboration concerning a key area of present-day concern. The Vice Chancellor expressed his confidence on the collaboration stating that useful outcomes of this MoU concerning this biofuel will lead to extension of such collaborations in several other areas in the near future.

Mr Sunil Rajagopal, Nodal Officer – North East & Senior Manager (Alternate Energy & Sustainable Development) and Mr S Basu of IOCL were also present during the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Baruah said Tezpur University has been engaged in promoting biogas through target-oriented research and several locally available biomasses have been identified as promising feedstock for 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 signing of the MoU with Indian Oil Corporation Limited. Referring to an E-Conclave on Issues of Industrial Scale Biogas in North east India organized in August 2021 as a Silver Jubilee event of the Department of Energy, Tezpur University which was also addressed by Chief Minister of Assam, Prof Baruah stated that Industry-Academia collaboration was recommended by the Conclave and the TU-IOCL MoU is a right step in this direction.

The research work on biogas inside Tezpur University campus, especially the production of biomethane and organic fertilizer using 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 today’s MoU, said Bijay Kumar while expressing his faith that entire NE region could 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. SATAT was launched by the ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India in 2018 with no plant installed in NE India yet. Considering the distinct and untapped benefits of biogas technology for gainful utilization of surplus biomass resources, the MoU is expected to contribute faster deployment in the entire Northeast India.