New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS): Highlighting the importance of biofuels in achieving energy independence while tackling air pollution caused by stubble burning, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said on Thursday that the logistics costs in the country can be drastically reduced by using alternative fuels such as methanol, ethanol and bio-CNG.

Addressing the ‘International Methanol Seminar and Expo’ in the national capital, the minister emphasised two key concerns -- rising pollution and fossil fuel imports.

Gadkari underscored the urgent need to reduce these imports for self-sufficiency, which amounts to about Rs 22 lakh crore, especially in light of global geopolitical uncertainties.

"India is making significant strides in the biofuel sector, especially in methanol. NITI Aayog's efforts to promote methanol are yielding success, given its affordability and pollution-free nature. Low-quality coal, which is available in a few states, is also being used in making methanol," he told the gathering.

Gadkari highlighted the concept of converting waste into wealth, adding that materials like used tyre powder and plastic are being utilised in road construction, which helps in the reduction of bitumen imports. The initiative of using crop waste is also helping to increase the incomes of farmers across the country.

Emphasising the significance of waste-to-energy technologies, particularly the production of bio-CNG from rice straw, the minister said this approach has shown promise in 475 projects, with over 40 already up and running in states such as Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.

"The conversion ratio of rice straw to Bio-CNG is roughly 5:1 in tonnes," said the minister, urging for additional research into more efficient biomass sources and cost-effective transportation methods for biomass.

On the stubble burning problem in Punjab and Haryana that causes severe air pollution every year, the minister said we can currently process one-fifth of the parali (stubble) but with better planning, we can reduce the seasonal air pollution from stubble burning by using parali as raw material for alternative fuels.