A cluster of around 70 units converting agro-waste into white coal or bio-coal entered Junagadh and Keshod. The units utilise groundnut husk, castor husk, soybean husk, and waste of cotton as raw material to manufacture bio-coal that is used in several industries where boilers are needed.

The press machines converting the agro-waste into white coal are manufactured in Rajkot. There are a few engineering units manufacturing these machines.

The coal-making units gather groundnut husk from the various peanut processing units near Junagadh. There are about 500 units in Junagadh district, processing peanuts for export and domestic consumption.

The companies making value addition to peanuts such as making butter and other products out of it buy peanuts from these processing units as well. The other agro-waste directly comes from the farms and the farmers earn between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 (per bigha).

Jagdish Barvadiya, who owns a unit in Junagadh, said that this bio-coal is used in several industries like Jetpur’s saree industry, pharma industry, chemical industry, casting industry, and food industry as fuel.

One machine produces 1,500 to 2,000kg of coal every hour. The units further use a mix of peanut, castor husk, soybean, and cotton waste during the off season when the peanut husk is unavailable in the market.

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