India’s 1st Green Methanol Production Plant:
The invasive shrub Prosopis juliflora, which has long threatened biodiversity in Kutch’s Banni Grasslands, is set to be used as feedstock for India’s first green methanol production plant.
- The plant at Deendayal Port Authority, Gujarat, will have an initial capacity of 5 tonnes per day and use gasification technology to convert biomass into syngas (H₂, CO, CO₂), which is then processed into methanol.
- It is a demonstration project, with future plants expected to scale up to 100–500 tonnes per day.
- The project supports India’s push for green ports and clean shipping fuels, reduces dependence on imported fossil fuels, and aligns with the International Maritime Organisation’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions in international shipping by 2050, thereby promoting the adoption of green fuels like methanol.
- Green methanol is a low-carbon, renewable liquid fuel and chemical feedstock produced from biomass (bio-methanol) or green hydrogen.
- It acts as a sustainable, net-zero alternative to conventional fossil-based methanol, capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60–95%.
- Prosopis juliflora is a Mexican-origin invasive shrub that was introduced in India during the 1920s and later widely expanded in Gujarat in 1961 to check desertification.
- It is known by different local names such as gando baval (Gujarat), vilayati keekar (North India), and velikathan (Tamil Nadu).
- Over time, it has aggressively spread across the Banni grasslands, crowding out native grasses, reducing biodiversity, and degrading fragile ecosystems.
