The paper mill owners express that ensuring the availability of biomass and PNG gas in accordance with the demand of the mills in the region will pose a challenge.
March 11, 2022
According to the media reports —all paper mills in Delhi-NCR must transition to PNG or biomass fuel by September 30 this year. The notice was issued by Air Quality Management Commission Member Arvind Nautiyal on February 4 to the principal secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi.
The paper mill owners express that ensuring the availability of biomass and PNG gas in accordance with the demand will be quite challenging. Moreover, the maintenance-related costs, to safeguard the biomass fuel from environmental factors like rain and water, will increase for the mill owners.
Watch: Evolution of Paper-Based Packaging
Mr. Pankaj Aggarwal, President of Paper Manufacturers Association (UP) and owner of Bindal Duplex, said, “the PNG gas is not available here and it is also three times more expensive. If the paper mills use biomass, then about 5 thousand tonnes of husk, bagasse, wood, etc. will be required every day. However, the major challenge is that only 30 percent of the required consumption can be fulfilled in these mills using biomass.”
Meanwhile, the government is making provisions to give incentives to farmers for adopting best practices to utilise paddy straw in an eco-friendly manner to solve the issue of stubble burning. The paddy straw can be used in the boilers of paper mills.
