Maruti to use cow dung to produce biogas for sustainable mobility solutions

Suzuki is planning to develop CNG automotive solutions around biogas in India and export it to other farming regions, including Africa, Asean, and Japan, the company said in a global presentation

Maruti Suzuki India, one of the largest automakers in the country, is working on a project that will use cow dung to produce biogas for its carbon-neutral internal combustion engine vehicles like CNG, biogas, and ethanol automobiles, Livemint reported. 

This initiative is part of Maruti Suzuki's efforts to find sustainable mobility solutions and reduce carbon emissions from its cars, the company has said, according to the report.

The Japanese auto major said in a global presentation on growth strategy for 2030, “To provide a full range of products and services, Suzuki will provide not only battery EVs but also carbon neutral internal combustion engine vehicles that use CNG, biogas, and ethanol mixed fuels.”

The company further added that for the initiative, cow dung which is dairy is readily available and can be supplied from the country's rural areas.

"This biogas can be used for Suzuki's CNG models that account for approximately 70 per cent of the CNG car market in India," the auto major said.

Suzuki is planning to develop CNG automotive solutions around biogas in India and export them to other farming regions, including Africa, Asean, and Japan, the company said in its global presentation.

"We believe that the biogas business in India not only contributes to carbon neutrality but also promotes economic growth and contributes to the society of India," the company said.

Earlier in 2022, Maruti Suzuki had signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to start a biogas demonstration project. This was followed by a tripartite MoU between NDDB, SMC and Banas Dairy, a Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation division, to produce biogas commercially by mid-2024.