'World's first' boiler-less sugarcane processing technology becomes commercially viable

Lanka, Assam: The boiler-less sugarcane processing technology, claimed to be the world's first such mechanism and installed in a plant in Assam four years ago, is now commercially viable, the company that developed the system said.

A plant in central Assam’s Hojai district has been using this technology which allows it to produce jaggery from sugarcane juice without burning any of the residual biomass, company officials claimed.

The technology, developed by Spray Engineering Devices Ltd (SEDL), was installed at Eco Tech Agro Mills four years ago, with the company now claiming that it has reached its ‘commercially viable’ stage.

“There are challenges when a new technology is developed. In this case, there were issues like heat balancing. But we were fortunate to have an industrial unit backing us. We have now reached the stage where this technology is commercially viable for all such sugarcane processing plants,” SEDL Managing Director Vivek Verma told PTI.

He said that, unlike conventional sugar processing units, the SEDL-developed Low Temperature-Evaporation (LTE) system operates without a boiler, thereby making the plant 100 per cent fuel free.

It also eliminates water discharge by recycling all recovered water for irrigation, and the integration of a solar power system further supports the facility’s minimal environmental footprint, Verma claimed.

Another SEDL official said the Eco Tech Agro Mills was set up with an investment of Rs 50-60 crore, including the value of land and equipment, four years ago, with the new boiler-less technology being installed.

The plant had a turnover of around Rs 30 crore in the first three years, and is looking to break even in its fourth and current year, she said.

The official said capital investment to set up a jaggery plant project with SEDL technology would be around Rs 50 crore for 500 tonnes of cane per day (TCD) crushing capacity.

“With the technology now being fine-tuned, plants can ensure the profits coming even earlier, depending upon availability and quality of raw material, ie, sugarcane,” she added.

Pradeep Jain, a promoter of Eco Tech Agro Mills, said the plant is currently working at about 40 per cent of its installed capacity, with only 200 TCD due to the non-availability of sugarcane.

Jain said they are pushing for sugarcane farming in the area, convincing the growers to adapt to new varieties and techniques for better yield.

His company has taken on lease 700-800 bighas of land in the neighbouring areas to demonstrate the financial benefits for farmers, Jain said.

“We are still in the initial stage and we are hopeful of getting even better results in the years to come,” he added.

He underlined the potentiality of using the bagasse which is the dry pulpy residue left after extraction of juice from sugarcane. It could be used for making paper pulp and as fuel.

The bagasse currently being produced at the Lanka plant is being transported to another industry of his company, where it is used as fuel, Jain said.

Verma also underscored the utility of the cellulose-rich bagasse and how it can be used to produce 2G ethanol and other bioproducts.

“Other industries can come up near the sugarcane processing plants using our technology. These can use the bagasse for various purposes and reap rich dividends,” he maintained.

SEDL officials said the company has its unit using boiler-less technology, where research and development work is also carried out, and another in Madhya Pradesh.

One project each in Tamil Nadu and Bihar is also coming up, they added.