LanzaTech to build ethanol plant for Spray Engineering in Uttar Pradesh

US-based renewable energy major LanzaTech Global has announced that it will be building a next generation ethanol project for sustainable engineering company Spray Engineering Devices Ltd (SED). LanzaTech held that the upcoming ethanol facility will be using sugarcane bagasse, a widely available agricultural waste product, for production of sustainable fuels and chemicals.

The facility, projected to process up to 300 tons per day of bagasse, will be in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, and is a key component of the “SED Smart Village” concept. The plant is expected to begin operations within two years.

The SED Smart Village framework is designed to capture the full economic value of renewable power and carbon resources. The model anticipates that abundant low-cost power will shift carbon demand toward high-value products like green chemicals, polymers, aviation fuels, and e-fuels.

In addition, the LanzaTech project is expected to generate nutrient-rich biochar (5–10%), that can be used in local farming communities to improve soil fertility.

Vivek Verma, Founder of SED, stated, “The critical element is ensuring biomass processing and nutrient recycling occur locally to preserve soil health and strengthen rural economies. By utilizing non-food agricultural biomass and animal waste as carbon feedstock, we can both decarbonize agriculture and create a sustainable hydrocarbon ecosystem.”

By leveraging the existing supply chain, the facility will divert bagasse/biomass waste from being burned and enable local production of fuels, chemicals, and raw materials.

This project will mark one of the first instances of a private company developing an ethanol project, using sugar industry by-product bagasse, under the PM JI-VAN Yojana, an Indian government program designed to support the production of advanced bioethanol from agricultural and other industrial waste.

“Our partnership with SED for this project expands our footprint in India while creating a roadmap for commercial deployment of agricultural residue as a key feedstock for producing ethanol,” said Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaTech’s CEO and member of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum’s (USISPF)’s Board of Directors.

LanzaTech in India

In India, LanzaTech technology is already deployed at Indian Oil Corporation’s Panipat facility using refinery off-gases, the sixth commercial scale plant using LanzaTech technology worldwide. A 10 ton per day ethanol production unit by NTPC from waste CO2 and green H2 is under advanced stage of execution at NTPC’s Pudimadaka site in Andhra Pradesh.