ORSL, IIT Bombay & IIT Kharagpur secures grant to build India’s maiden BIO-CCU Platform for next-gen CO₂ valorisation for CBG sector

Mumbai headquartered Organic Recycling Systems Limited (ORSL), in collaboration with IIT Bombay (IITB) and IIT Kharagpur (IITKgp), has been awarded a landmark research grant under the DBT BIRAC Joint Call on Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU). ORSL has become the first company in India to receive this prestigious grant in the CCU domain under the BioE3 Policy for High Performance Bio manufacturing.

Notably, this technology presents a transformative commercial opportunity for India’s rapidly expanding Compressed Biogas (CBG) sector. Currently, many CBG plants vent or flare a significant portion of purified CO₂ due to the lack of viable utilisation pathways. With ORSL’s CCU platform, this otherwise unutilised CO₂ has a potential to be converted into high-value products such as bio-alcohols, specialty chemicals, nutritional supplements, and industrial additives—creating new revenue streams and significantly enhancing plant economics.

The initiative, titled “Integrating Biotechnological Interventions to Capture and Utilize CO₂ from Biogas via Algal Cultivation and Photocatalytic Conversion to Mixed Alcohols”, will be implemented at the ORSL Research Innovation Centre (RIC), Navi Mumbai.

The project duration is 24 months and the cost is INR 187.17 lakh. This ground-breaking BIO CCU initiative will bolster India’s strategic missions related to net zero emissions, circular carbon economy, waste to wealth pathways and scalable and sustainable bio manufacturing.

Sarang Bhand, Managing Director, ORSL, said, “This project marks an important milestone for India’s bioenergy and carbon circularity landscape. To meet the interim targeted goal of 45% reduction in carbon intensity in the Indian economy by 2030, it is mission critical to step-up the R&D initiatives in both public and private domains. Academic and Industrial collaborations will ensure that the technology development life-cycle for novel and innovative carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies can be reduced considerably and successful POC’s by some of the best brains working in the academic space can be aided for pilot demonstrations and can be scaled-up to commercial applications by the Industrial partners. The IITB, IITKgp and ORSL collaboration is the first step in this direction with an intent to bring forth and demonstrate some novel technologies in the CCU and clean-tech space. The recent BIRAC grant to the consortium under the prestigious BioE3 program is going to be pivotal in redefining how we manage and valorise biogenic CO2 through cost effective sustainable processes.”

Dr. Manju Tanwar, Chief Scientist and Head R&D, ORSL (Principal Investigator), added, “This project integrates frontier biotechnology, algal engineering, and MXene based photo catalysis in a way not previously demonstrated at this scale in India. Our goal is to build a near zero CO₂ emission biogas platform that can set a new national benchmark for CCUS in the Waste to Energy sector.”

Prof. Dr. Indrajit Chakraborty, IIT Bombay, commented, “Advanced photo bioreactor based CO₂ fixation offers a high impact route for sustainable carbon utilization. This collaboration enables the development of a robust and replicable model for India’s growing energy infrastructure.”

Prof. Dr. Koustuv Ray, IIT Kharagpur, noted, “Selective photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into mixed alcohols holds significant potential for future bio refineries and green chemical manufacturing. The multidisciplinary approach of this project is essential for advancing India’s climate relevant technologies.”

As the first Indian company to receive this grant, ORSL is positioned to lead the development of indigenous CCU technologies that can transform biogas plants nationwide and drive meaningful progress in deep industrial decarbonisation.

ORSL and its academic partners express profound gratitude to DBT, BIRAC & Government of India. The continued efforts, national initiatives, and progressive programs under the Government of India have created an enabling ecosystem for breakthrough CCU innovations. These visionary interventions are significantly advancing India’s capabilities in sustainable biomanufacturing, clean energy transition, and industrial-scale deep decarbonisation.