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Every winter, the same pictures come back. Smoke over fields in Punjab and Haryana, a grey sky over Delhi, and people asking why farmers keep burning crop leftovers.

The short answer is that most farmers have no quick, cheap way to get rid of it before the next sowing. The longer answer is that this leftover material, along with husk, shells, sawdust and garden waste, is biomass. Handled properly, it is fuel and raw material that India already produces in huge quantities every year.

This article explains what biomass is, why burning or dumping it hurts us, and how it can be processed into something useful.

What counts as biomass

Biomass is any organic material that comes from plants or animals and can be used for energy or as a raw material. In India, most of it comes from farms, mills and towns.

• Crop residue: paddy straw, wheat straw, cotton stalks, mustard stalks, maize cobs and sugarcane trash left in the field after harvest.


• Agro-processing waste: rice husk, groundnut shells, bagasse from sugar mills, coconut shells and coir pith.


• Wood and forest waste: sawdust, wood chips, bark and offcuts from furniture units and sawmills.


• Urban green waste: tree trimmings, leaves and garden waste collected by municipalities.


• Wet organic waste: food waste, vegetable market waste and animal dung, which are usually handled through composting or biogas.

The dry, fibrous types are the ones that can be shredded, compressed and burnt as fuel. Wet waste needs a different route.

Why burning or dumping it costs us

Burning crop residue in the open releases smoke, fine dust and carbon monoxide straight into the air people breathe. Hospitals in north India see a rise in breathing problems every October and November, and stubble smoke is a big part of the reason.

The soil loses too. Fire kills the useful microbes in the top layer and burns away nutrients the next crop could have used.

Dumping is not much better. Heaps of husk, sawdust and shells catch fire easily, attract pests and take up space at mills and factories. Meanwhile, many of these same factories are buying coal or wood for their boilers.

How biomass is processed

Loose biomass is bulky, uneven and full of moisture. That makes it hard to transport and hard to burn well. Processing fixes all three problems, and the basic steps are simple.

1. Collection and baling: straw and stalks are gathered from the field, often with balers, so they can be moved in compact blocks.


2. Shredding: a shredder or hammer mill cuts the material into small, even pieces. Even size means even drying and even burning later.


3. Drying: moisture is brought down, either in the sun or through a dryer. Wet biomass gives less heat and more smoke.


4. Compressing: the dry, shredded material goes through a briquetting or pelleting machine. High pressure packs it into dense logs or small pellets, usually without any added binder.


5. Storage and dispatch: briquettes and pellets are easy to stack, store and transport by truck, much like coal.

The result is a fuel that is uniform, easy to handle and far cleaner to burn than loose straw.

Where processed biomass gets used

• Industrial boilers: textile, food processing, pharma and chemical units use briquettes in place of coal or firewood to make steam.


• Thermal power plants: government rules push coal-based plants to co-fire a share of biomass pellets with coal, which has created steady demand.


• Brick kilns and small furnaces: briquettes are an easy swap for wood and coal in local kilns.


• Compressed biogas plants: paddy straw and other residues can be fed into CBG plants to make gas for vehicles and industry.


• Animal bedding, mushroom farming and packaging: shredded straw and husk find smaller but useful markets here.

For a factory owner, the appeal is simple. Biomass fuel is made locally, its price is less tied to imported coal, and it helps the unit meet pollution and sustainability norms.

What to check before setting up a biomass processing unit

• Steady raw material: which residue is available within a reasonable distance, in what season, and for how many months a year?


• Moisture level: high-moisture material may need a dryer, which adds cost and space.


• Buyers nearby: are there boilers, kilns or power plants within trucking distance that will buy the output regularly?


• Machine capacity: size the shredder and briquetting line to the raw material you can actually collect, not the best-case figure.


• Storage space: biomass arrives in bulk during harvest, so covered storage for raw material and finished fuel matters.


• Maintenance and support: dies, hammers and blades wear out. Check that spares and service are easy to get.

Getting these right at the start decides whether the unit runs all year or sits idle after harvest season.

Making it work on the ground

India does not have a shortage of biomass. What it often lacks is the right setup close to where the waste is produced, so it gets collected and processed before someone lights a match.

Arcler Projects LLP, based in Ahmedabad, designs and supplies waste processing equipment, including systems for handling biomass and agricultural residue. If you are planning a biomass unit or want to understand what setup suits your raw material, you can explore their work at Arcler Projects.