Spray Engineering Devices Ltd. (SEDL), a clean tech engineering company specialising in thermal heat recycling and biomass valorisation, unveiled a forward-looking roadmap for sustainable transformation across India’s sugar and ethanol industries. The company demonstrated how dry biomass, such as sugarcane bagasse and agricultural waste, can be converted into ethanol at globally competitive costs through electricity-driven gasification and circular processing systems.

At a time when India has achieved 20 percent ethanol blending in petrol five years ahead of its original 2030 target, and as the country prepares to roll out E27 blending norms by August this year, SEDL’s clean tech roadmap aligns strongly with the national drive for energy security, circularity, and carbon neutrality. According to recent government data, India saved over ₹1.36 lakh crore in foreign exchange through ethanol blending in the last nine years and disbursed over ₹3.1 lakh crore to farmers and distilleries, indicating a robust foundation for a ₹1 lakh crore ethanol economy by 2027.

Vivek Verma, Managing Director, SEDL, said, “India generates millions of tonnes of agricultural residue every year, much of which is either burned or wasted. What we’re enabling is a path where that same waste - whether sugarcane-based biomass, spent wash, or paddy husk - can be turned into clean fuels like ethanol and SAF, while creating water, energy, and livelihood benefits. Ethanol production from biomass at global competitive cost can help reshape the bio-economics of rural development, energy security, and climate action.”

A highlight of SEDL’s portfolio is its electricity-driven gasification process for producing ethanol and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Capable of converting a variety of feedstocks, including bagasse, agricultural residue, and municipal solid waste, the system achieves high energy yields of 4,000 to 5,000 kilowatt-hours per tonne and operates with minimal tar formation, offering a cleaner and more economical alternative to crude-based fuels.

Also featured was the Smart Village Model, a decentralised jaggery processing framework powered by boilerless, MVR-based plants. These units eliminate fossil fuel use, generate clean water as a by-product, and support rural livelihoods through village-scale micro-enterprises. The system integrates rooftop solar power, clean cooking infrastructure, and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) based water reuse, presenting a replicable model for net zero rural development.

In industrial water treatment, SEDL presented its LTE system powered by MVR, designed to deliver nearly 100 percent clean water recovery without the use of steam or chemicals. Already deployed at distilleries such as Dalmia Bharat and Kibos Sugar in Kenya, the solution transforms one of the most challenging distillery by-products into a reusable water source for agriculture or in-process applications.

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For sugar processing units, SEDL highlighted two proven energy-saving technologies. The honeycomb calandria batch pan, already operational at KM Sugar Mills, improves crystallisation efficiency and reduces steam consumption by up to 15 percent. In addition, a condensate-based juice heating system, tested at mills including Uttam Sugar, RBNS, and Daurala, delivers 7 to 10 percent steam savings by replacing fresh steam with recovered condensate.

In recognition of its contributions to innovation, Vivek Verma received the Excellence Award at the STAI Convention, while Dr. A. K. Nanda, President of SEDL, was awarded the Dr. P. J. Manohar Rao Gold Medal for innovation in co-products. Earlier this month, the company also received the Best Machinery Manufacturing (Sugar) Award at the national level by Bharatiya Sugar during its annual symposium in Kolhapur.

With over 100 global patents, three state-of-the-art manufacturing units in India, and exports to more than 40 countries, SEDL’s solutions today serve sectors including sugar, ethanol, jaggery, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, green chemicals, and automotive. Its recent presentation of five technical papers to the wider fraternity of sugar technologists further reinforces SEDL’s role as a research-driven partner advancing India’s clean energy and bioeconomy goals.