Cliches be damned, to reduce CO2 in India, Suzuki plans to make fuel from cow dung
Arvind · Jan 30, 2023 04:00 PM
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As part of its global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, Suzuki plans to make fuel for cars in India out of yes, you read that right – cow dung!
Taking advantage of a large resource of readily available ‘fuel’ in India, Suzuki will be investing in a biogas production plant based in the Banaskantha region of Gujarat, which will produce approximately 1,500 kg of biofuel per day, estimated to power up to 500 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles.
Poop from 10 cows is enough to power 1 car for a day, imagine what you can do with over 300 million cows in India
India is Suzuki’s biggest market outside of Japan, accounting for sales of over 3 million vehicles annually (equaling 43.4 percent of India’s total industry volume in 2022) and sees the CO2 reductions achieved through biomass production as a crucial step in reducing carbon output whilst increasing production of vehicles.
In December 2022, Suzuki inked an agreement with India’s National Dairy Board and Banas Dairy – the largest dairy manufacturer in Asia – for the supply of cow dung that will be processed to produce compressed biomethane gas and fertilizer (made from the residual digestive fluids), slated to start in mid-2024.
Additionally, with an estimated population of over 300 million bovine livestock (as of 2019) across India – and its relevant ‘fuel’, few would argue the scalability and effectiveness of Suzuki’s plans.
Perhaps just as effective as electric cars – Suzuki’s efforts offer an effective and immediate way of reducing a portion of approximately 8 Billion tonnes of annual CO2 that is produced from dairy farming activities worldwide. Yes, cow poop people, not all CO2 comes from the tailpipe of a car.
Besides India, Suzuki has also invested in the Fujisan Asagiri Biomass Plant in Japan which will turn cow dung into biogas for electricity generation, slated to start production in March 2023
Besides suppressing CO2, Suzuki's efforts in India will also include the promotion of recycled organic fertiliser, which is hoped will create new job opportunities and income streams, especially in the rural areas.
Arvind can't remember a time when he didn't wheel around a HotWheels car. This love evolved into an interest in Tamiya and RC cars and finally the real deal 1:1 scale stuff. Passion finally lead to formal training in Mechanical Engineering. Instead of the bigger picture, he obsesses with the final drive ratio and spring rates of cars and spends the weekends wondering why a Perodua Myvi is so fast.
