- Why in news
- On 5 June 2026, the Technology Development Board (TDB) under DST announced support to Greenjoules Pvt Ltd, Pune, to commercialise its indigenous second-generation diesel-equivalent biofuel technology.
- What it is
- Second-generation biofuels are made from non-food biomass such as crop residues and agro-industrial waste, not food crops. Greenjoules' Abhilasha Biofuel (ABF) is a drop-in renewable diesel and naphtha alternative made by thermo-chemical conversion. TDB is a statutory body under DST that funds commercialisation of indigenous technology.
- Drop-in fuel
- ABF can replace fossil diesel without changes to engines, fuel systems or distribution infrastructure.
- Process
- The process combines thermal cracking, catalytic upgrading and downstream refining.
- Feedstock
- The fuel has been produced from nearly forty different feedstocks.
- Co-products
- The plant also yields renewable naphtha, biochar and gaseous fuels, and helps cut stubble burning.
- Funder
- TDB is a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology, set up under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995.
Don’t confuse with 1G vs 2G biofuels: First-generation fuels use food crops such as sugarcane or grain. Second-generation fuels use non-food biomass and waste, such as crop residues.
Don’t confuse with Drop-in biofuel vs blended biofuel: A drop-in fuel is chemically equivalent to fossil fuel and needs no engine change. Ethanol is blended with petrol only up to a limit and needs compatible engines.
Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.
Why it matters
- Turns crop residue into fuel, reducing stubble burning and rural waste.
- Cuts dependence on imported crude and supports net-zero goals through indigenous technology.
Problems
- Reliable, low-cost collection and supply of dispersed biomass is hard.
- Scaling from pilot to commercial output at competitive cost against fossil diesel is uncertain.
Way forward
- Build biomass aggregation and supply chains with farmer incentives.
- Give viability support and assured offtake for advanced biofuels under the National Policy on Biofuels.
- 2025Mains GS3 · Q6Role of clean technology and biotechnology in India's energy independence
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- 2017Prelims Q22Limitations developing countries face in promoting algae-based biofuel industry
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Drop-in biofuel from agri-waste links to biofuel topics. Support to a single firm gives little for a statement.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.