Early 1980’s - accepted a challenge to look into the energy needs of agricultural sector through the route of bioenergy conversion by mainly focusing on: –Improved stoves for meeting the cooking energy needs –Biogas through bio-methanation route for meeting cooking and any small power needs –Biomass gasification to provide electricity or mechanical power to various rural needs. Bio-Energy Activities What it means to the Country Based on a analysis, total agro production of 415 million tons which totals to about 440 million tons of bio-residues in India. Accounting for current usage pattern there is surplus of 130 million tons of agro residues that can realize a power of potential of MW. Further there are waste lands for bio resource development to address both transportation and stationary applications Distributed power generation is the concepts using –Captive generation, Micro grids, Hybrid systems

ASTRA ole – a three pan stove based on standard engineering principles –Increasing the area of heat transfer using, Multi pans, dipping the pan entirely, fins –A chimney to remove the flue and create the draft Applications DOMESTIC COOKING (ASTRA OLE); LARGE - SCALE COOKING BATH WATER HEATING ; ARECA PROCESSING, JAGGERY MAKING;AYURVEDIC MEDICINE, SILK REELING,DYEING OF YARNS; STEAM DISTILLATION,STEAM CURING OF LIME- STABILISED MUD BLOCKS,DRYING; TOBACCO CURING;CRAMATION These stoves were disseminated through subsidy programs – over 1.5 million! Bio-Energy Activities Biomass combustion – Fixed stoves

The activity began with use of cow dung as the feed material to meet the energy needs. Research at IISc has led to use other ligno-celluosic material as feed –One reactor for wide biomass composition –Low input energy, low biomass processing –Wide VFA fluxes, slow methanogenesis, –Feed stratification and floating, –Create multiphase flow amidst changing form –Ferment biomass even when afloat, –Corrosion proof civil structure, gas-proofing Major Achievements Leafy biomass and crop wastes up to 1.5 t/d-Over 15 systems Coffee waste water-75 operational units Municipal Solid Waste- 8 units built in 3 towns Bio-Energy Activities Biological Conversion

Scientific challenges addressed –To ensure that tar and particulates are minimized, system elements are robust, multi-fuel capability to avoid ash fusion and yet have good quality gas –Producer gas engines for power generation Typical applications –Electricity generation, Village electrification, Captive power generation, Grid linked power generation –Thermal application, Low temperature (drying, etc., ), High temperature (furnaces, kilns, etc., ) At IISc (Open top down draft technology - distinctly different from other designs) Technology package for agro residue as the fuel –Power range 5 – 1000 kWe –Both power and high quality thermal applications –Over 500,000 hours of operational experience –Gas cleaning system for turbo-charged engines High pressure gasification for micro-turbine About 6 MW electrical and 40 MW thermal –Saving in excess of lts of oil per day Bio-Energy Activities, Thermo-chemical Conversion

Climate change is emerging as one of the most important scientific, technological and policy challenges, globally and nationally. Pioneering work has been done in the following areas of science and policy aspects of climate change and forests at CST: Greenhouse gas inventory methodology for forest and land use sectors: Forest sector contributes to nearly 20% of the global CO2 emissions. Faculty of CST has contributed to the development of IPCC methodology for GHG Inventory for Land use, Land-use change and forest sector (IPCC, 2003) and for GHG Inventory for Agriculture, Forest, Grassland and other land categories (IPCC, 2006). The methods and guidelines developed are being used by all the countries for estimation of GHG Inventory. CST has also estimated the GHG Inventory for forest and land use sectors for India for submission to UN Climate Convention. Carbon sequestration potential of forest sector: CST has estimated the mitigation potential of forest and land use sectors for India. The mitigation potential estimates made by CST have been used in preparing the National Climate Change Action Plan of Govt. of India. According to the estimates made, the forest carbon sink in India will continue to increase till CST has also contributed to the estimates of mitigation potential in the forest sector at the global level, for the IPCC 2007 assessment. Climate Change and Forest Sector – Contributions to Science and Policy

Impact of Climate change on forest sector: CST has made an assessment of the likely impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems and biodiversity. Studies have shown that 68-77% of the currently forested area is likely to undergo change in vegetation type by 2085, adversely affecting the biodiversity and forest ecological functions. The studies further showed that the Net Primary Productivity of forest ecosystems is projected to increase by % due to CO2 fertilization, during the initial decades of the current century. The findings of the CST studies are used in preparing the National Greening Mission, under the National Climate Change Action Plan. Climate Change and Forest Sector – Contributions to Science and Policy