ORSL, IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur Launch India’s First Pilot-Scale BIO-CCU Platform

Mumbai-based Organic Recycling Systems Ltd. (ORSL), in partnership with IIT Bombay (IITB) and IIT Kharagpur (IITKgp), has secured a research grant under the DBT-BIRAC Joint Call on Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU).

The initiative makes ORSL the first Indian company to receive this prestigious funding in the CCU domain under the BioE3 Policy for High-Performance Bio Manufacturing.

The 24-month project, titled, 'Integrating Biotechnological Interventions to Capture and Utilise CO₂ from Biogas via Algal Cultivation and Photocatalytic Conversion to Mixed Alcohols', will be implemented at ORSL’s Research Innovation Centre (RIC) in Navi Mumbai with a project cost of INR 1.87 crore.

The platform aims to convert CO₂, currently vented or flared by many Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants, into bio-alcohols, specialty chemicals, nutritional supplements, and industrial additives. This conversion is expected to create new revenue streams while enhancing the economics of CBG plants and supporting India’s net-zero and circular carbon goals.

Sarang Bhand, Managing Director of ORSL, said that the project represents a milestone for India’s bioenergy and carbon circularity landscape, emphasizing the importance of academic-industrial collaboration to accelerate pilot demonstrations and commercial scale-up.

Dr. Manju Tanwar, Chief Scientist and Head of R&D at ORSL, added that the project combines advanced biotechnology, algal engineering, and MXene-based photocatalysis to build a near-zero CO₂ emission biogas platform—potentially setting a new national benchmark for CCUS in the waste-to-energy sector.

Prof. Indrajit Chakraborty of IIT Bombay highlighted that advanced photo bioreactor-based CO₂ fixation offers a high-impact route for sustainable carbon utilization, while Prof. Koustuv Ray of IIT Kharagpur noted that selective photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into mixed alcohols could revolutionize future biorefineries and green chemical manufacturing.

As the first Indian company to secure the grant, ORSL is poised to lead indigenous CCU technology development, transforming biogas plants nationwide and advancing industrial decarbonisation.