Northumbria University leads Pakistan biofuel plant project

Academics at a UK university have secured funding to build Pakistan’s first full-scale plant that converts agricultural waste into clean energy.

Northumbria University’s School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics is leading the project called, Safer Plus, which turns cotton stalks and sugarcane waste into biofuel.

Millions of tonnes of the waste products are burnt every year in the Punjab province, contributing to air pollution and Pakistan’s seasonal smog.

The project, awarded nearly £1.25m by the UK government, will also offer women in Punjab a new source of income through collection and supply of the agricultural waste.

The base materials will be converted into bio-coal pellets through a heating process known as torrefaction.

Potentially the pellets can replace imported coal in brick kilns and textile mill boilers at 40-50% lower cost.

Dr Jibran Khaliq, one of the academics leading the project, said: “Pakistan spends over $2.5bn every year importing coal to power its industries, while millions of tonnes of crop residue are burned in fields because there is no market for it.”

Northumbria University