Praj Industries plans more SAF less smoke

opinion

by Fayaz Hussain

March 9, 2026

If you visit New Delhi at the wrong time, you will not forget the smog. The smoke and fog mixture turns deadly every year between October and February. While there are other pollutants that add to the thick blanket that makes breathing an effort, the prime culprit is rice stubble burning.

Every October, farmers burn millions of acres to clear the land for the following wheat crop. Estimates show 23m tonnes of paddy straw is burnt every year. For farmers, this is the fastest, most cost-effective way to dispose of it.

But the same stubble can be used to extract second-generation ethanol. The dry biomass can yield 300-440 litres of ethanol per tonne which can then be used to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Indian biotechnology and engineering solutions firm Praj Industries’ technology portfolio includes 2G ethanol from agricultural residues including the paddy straw.

“We strongly believe the future of biofuels lies in non-food and residue-based feedstocks and Praj has invested significantly in commercialising 2G ethanol technologies to support this transition,” Dr. Pramod Chaudhari, founder chairman of Praj Industries tells SAF Investor. “Our solutions support a wide range of agricultural residues via 2G ethanol pathways such as rice straw, corn cobs, corn stover etc.”

It has set up Asia’s first integrated alcohol-to-SAF demonstration facility at its research and development campus Praj Matrix in Pune, India. It was at this site that Praj produced SAF, via alcohol-to-jet pathway, to be used in India’s first commercial flight that ran on SAF blend. SAF was produced from cane molasses and supplied using existing aviation fuel infrastructure. Praj’s SAF offering builds the company’s extensive experience in the ethanol market.

“Praj has been a key technology enabler of India’s Ethanol Blended Petrol programme, supporting India’s achievement of 20% blending well ahead of schedule, while also enabling ethanol programmes in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa,” he tells us.

Praj-enabled ethanol plants account for nearly 10% of global ethanol production excluding China. In India, a substantial share of the country’s ethanol capacity expansion over the last decade has been enabled by Praj. The company says it is now focusing on leveraging their existing ethanol expertise into SAF.

“Our aspiration is clear: to see SAF produced using Praj technology powering international routes. We are currently supporting multiple feasibility and FEED studies globally, including projects in North America, through partnerships with global technology leaders,” he tells us.

“While timelines ultimately depend on project developers and airlines, the focus today is on moving from demonstration to commercial scale ATJ SAF plants, which will directly supply international aviation markets. Praj’s role is to enable those projects with proven, scalable and licensable technology.”

The company recently entered in a partnership with leading technology firm Axens to commercialise SAF. The key milestone includes developing an end-to-end integrated feedstock to SAF solution.

“Next steps focus on supporting commercial scale SAF projects globally, engaging with airlines, refiners and policymakers and enabling early mover projects in India and other strategic markets,” explains Chaudhari.

Scaling SAF production in India remains a top priority. The country has begun laying a solid foundation for SAF adoption. The government has announced indicative blending targets, starting with 1% SAF from 2027, rising to 2% in 2028 and 5% by 2030, initially focused on international flights.

“The country has access to over 230m tonnes of agricultural residue and conservative estimates suggest India could support SAF production well beyond its domestic aviation demand,” says Chaudhari.

“Our view is that India has the potential not just to meet its own SAF requirements, but to emerge as a global SAF export hub, provided technology deployment, policy clarity and investment move in sync. Praj’s role is to help bridge that gap through ready to deploy ATJ technology.”

Tapping into India’s immense agricultural potential to utilise 2G feedstocks will not only deliver SAF at scale to decarbonise aviation in India and beyond but it will also solve India’s pollution problem caused by burning agricultural residues.

To map this potential, Praj has signed an MoU with the International Air Transport Association and Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association to accelerate certification, adoption and policy alignment for SAF. But for Dr. Chaudhari, it is not a quick solution. “Energy transition is not a sprint; it is a marathon.”