Biotechnology Can Make Sugar and Ethanol Mills Future Ready
- Says Dr. Sangita Kasture at IFGE Webinar
Biotechnology is no longer just a research subject. It is becoming the operating system for India’s sugar and ethanol industry as it shifts from making sugar and ethanol to running integrated bioeconomy hubs. That was the core argument made by Dr. Sangita Kasture, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, in her keynote at the Indian Federation of Green Energy National Webinar on Potash Recovery from Distillery Fly Ash: Technology, Sustainability and Scale on 03 July 2026.
Speaking to an audience of mill owners, distillery leaders, researchers and policymakers, Dr. Kasture laid out how biology-led processes can help the sector tackle climate pressure, resource scarcity and waste, while creating new products like recovered potash, specialty chemicals and biofertilizers.
The Context: Why Industry Must Change
She began with the global pressures forcing industry to rethink how it produces. Climate change, depletion of natural resources, fragile supply chains, geopolitical uncertainty, growing waste and environmental damage are pushing companies away from linear make-use-dispose models. The answer, she said, is circular and bio-based systems where waste streams become feedstocks.
The Policy Lens: BioE3
Dr. Kasture explained the Department of Biotechnology’s BioE3 Policy, built on three pillars: Economy, Employment and Environment. The idea is to make India a leader in sustainable biomanufacturing while growing green jobs and reducing environmental load.
The policy focuses on six strategic areas: bio-based chemicals and enzymes, functional foods and smart proteins, precision biotherapeutics, climate-resilient agriculture, carbon capture and utilization, and marine and space biotechnology.
She noted that sugar and ethanol intersect with several of these. Mills are moving beyond sugar and ethanol to produce power, CO2, specialty chemicals, biofertilizers and biopolymers. In that expanded model, recovering nutrients and materials from waste streams fits naturally.
Potash Recovery as Waste Valorization
Using potash recovery from spent wash and boiler ash as an example, Dr. Kasture described it as classic waste valorization. Instead of treating distillery residues as a disposal burden, they can be processed to extract potassium for fertilizer use. That improves resource efficiency, reduces environmental impact and gives farmers a domestic nutrient source.
Waste should be seen as a resource stream that can generate value, she said.
How Biotechnology Helps
According to Dr. Kasture, biology can improve recovery in practical ways. Microbial and enzymatic interventions can raise nutrient recovery efficiency, improve the bioavailability of nutrients, reduce impurities biologically, and help remove heavy metals. Cleaner, more effective potash products are better for soils and more acceptable to fertilizer companies and farmers.
She stressed that technologies must be designed to be energy-neutral, water-neutral and environmentally sound if they are to scale in mills. A process that consumes too much power or water will not survive in the real world of tight margins and compliance requirements.
DBT’s Support Ecosystem
To help ideas move from lab to plant, DBT has been building an ecosystem that includes biofoundries, biomanufacturing hubs, R and D centers and AI-driven innovation systems. These platforms are meant to de-risk technology development, enable pilot projects and speed up commercial deployment.
Dr. Kasture encouraged sugar mills and distilleries to use these platforms for joint pilot work, process optimization and scale-up studies.
Collaboration is the Missing Link
Her main call to action was collaboration. She recommended more industry-academia pilot projects, stronger partnerships between mills and research institutions, increased R and D investment in recovery processes, and faster commercialization of resource recovery technologies.
The message to the sector was direct: engage with DBT early, bring real plant problems to the table, and co-develop solutions that work at 24 by 7 operating conditions.
Why It Matters Now
For Maharashtra and other sugar states, the timing is important. Mills already run incineration boilers for Zero Liquid Discharge and generate ash with high potassium content. Spent wash carries potassium too. Recovering it aligns with fertilizer security, import substitution and circular economy goals.
If mills pair mechanical recovery with biotechnology tools for purification, impurity removal and product quality, the output can meet fertilizer standards and command better prices.
Closing
Dr. Kasture concluded that biotechnology will be decisive in India’s shift to circular, bio-based industrial growth. Potash recovery sits at the intersection of sustainability, innovation and economic value. For the sugar-ethanol industry, it is an opportunity to reduce waste, cut costs, earn new revenue and contribute to national fertilizer security.
The task now is to move from pilots to plants, with biology embedded in process design from the start.
(Dr. Sangita M. Kasture – Scientist G/ Advisor, Head, Biomanufacturing Directorate, Department of Biotechnology Minisrty of Science and Technology, Govt of India)
