Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited

What Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited does

Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited (ABEPL) is a bio-refinery joint venture incorporated on 4 June 2018 by Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), Fortum (Finland), and Chempolis Oy (Finland), headquartered in Guwahati with its production facility in Numaligarh, Golaghat district, Assam. The company produces fuel-grade bio-ethanol and a slate of co-products — acetic acid, furfural, furfuryl alcohol, and food-grade liquid CO2 — from bamboo biomass using Chempolis Oy's licensed Formicobio second-generation cellulosic technology. Planned annual nameplate capacities are 48,900 MT of bio-ethanol, 19,000 MT of furfural, 11,000 MT of acetic acid, and 31,000 MT of food-grade liquid CO2.

The business model is B2B industrial offtake: fuel-grade ethanol is sold to India's Oil Marketing Companies (IOC, BPCL, HPCL) under the national Ethanol Blending Programme at government-notified prices, while co-products are marketed to chemical, foundry, and food/beverage industrial buyers. Revenue mechanics therefore depend on OMC tender allocations and regulated ethanol pricing for the primary stream, with merchant pricing for by-products. The corporate organization is small, with approximately 24 employees reported, consistent with a company still transitioning from project execution to commercial operations.

ABEPL's strategic positioning is anchored to India's E20 blending target and the Northeast region's bamboo surplus, giving it a regional monopoly on commercial-scale 2G ethanol production from bamboo. The company has been building a contracted bamboo farmer base across Assam and adjacent states to secure feedstock, and has issued an EOI for transporters, both signals of imminent operational ramp-up. The venture's significance is therefore more about first-mover positioning in a regulated, policy-supported 2G ethanol corridor than about current revenue scale.

Name

Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited

Legal name

Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited

Website

https://abepl.co.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited is a JV between NRL, Fortum, and Chempolis Oy that operates a bamboo-based 2G bio-refinery in Numaligarh, Assam, producing fuel-grade ethanol, furfural, acetic acid, and food-grade CO2 for OMC offtake and industrial buyers under India's ethanol blending programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biofuels and Industrial Chemicals

NAICS

Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing (325193), Cyclic Crude, Intermediate, and Gum and Wood Chemical Manufacturing (325194), Basic Chemical Manufacturing (3251)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Cellulosic Biofuels & Renewable Fuels (2G ethanol, SAF intermediates) (IMAMALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bio-based Platform & Commodity Chemicals (e.g., bio-ethylene, bio-propylene, bio-BTX, bio-methanol) (EUAAAIAA), Green Methanol & E‑Alcohols (e‑methanol, ethanol, higher alcohols) (EUABAIAB), Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass) (EUABAJAD)

Keywords

• Cellulosic bioethanol production
• Bamboo biorefining technology
• Bio-based furfural manufacturing
• Industrial acetic acid production
• Food grade liquid CO2

Headquarters

HQ city

Guwahati

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Bio-Ethanol Sales: Production and sale of fuel grade ethanol from bamboo biomass for automotive fuel use, either alone or blended with gasoline. Supports India's national objective of 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025.
2. Acetic Acid Sales: Production and sale of sustainable, eco-friendly, methanol-free acetic acid for industrial applications in food, beverages, coatings, and personal products.
3. Furfural Sales: Production and sale of bio-based furfural derived from biomass, used in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and foundries as a sustainable alternative.
4. Furfuryl Alcohol Sales: Production and sale of eco-friendly furfuryl alcohol for foundries and chemical production, serving as a sustainable substitute for traditional resins.
5. Food Grade Liquid CO2 Sales: Production and sale of food grade liquid CO2 as a byproduct of the bio-refining process.

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited operates India's first bamboo-based bio-refinery at Numaligarh, Assam, producing fuel-grade bio-ethanol, furfural, acetic acid, furfuryl alcohol, and food-grade liquid CO2 from non-food cellulosic bamboo feedstock using Formicobio/Formico 3G technology licensed from Chempolis Oy. The refinery has an annual rated capacity of 48,900 MT of ethanol, 19,000 MT of furfural, 11,000 MT of acetic acid, and 31,000 MT of food-grade liquid CO2, supplying industrial chemical and automotive fuel customers in India.

Product overview

ABEPL operates India's first bio-refinery to produce fuel-grade ethanol from bamboo biomass. The company operates a single integrated biorefinery using Formicobio Technology (licensed from Chempolis Oy) to convert bamboo into multiple bio-based products. The core product portfolio includes Bio-Ethanol (automotive fuel, 48,900 MT/year capacity), Acetic Acid (11,000 MT/year), Furfural (19,000 MT/year), Furfuryl Alcohol, and Food Grade Liquid CO2 (31,000 MT/year). All products are derived from non-food cellulosic feedstock, aligning with environmental sustainability principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bio-Ethanol Fuel-grade ethanol produced from bamboo biomass at the Numaligarh refinery, used as an automotive fuel either alone or blended with gasoline to enable more complete fuel combustion and reduce emissions while minimizing stress on the food supply chain.
• Acetic Acid Sustainable, eco-friendly, methanol-free acetic acid for industrial applications in food, beverages, coatings, and personal products.
• Furfural Organic compound derived from biomass, used in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and foundries as a bio-based, sustainable alternative to traditional petrochemical inputs.
• Furfuryl Alcohol Chemical used in foundries and chemical production as an eco-friendly, sustainable substitute for traditional resins.
• Food Grade Liquid CO2 Food-grade liquid carbon dioxide captured as a byproduct of the bamboo bio-refining process and sold for food, beverage, and industrial use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces carbon emissions through complete fuel combustion when ethanol is blended with petrol
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Chempolis OycoreTechnology or IntegrationFinnish company that develops and provides technology solutions for biomass, pulp and paper, biofuel, alcohol, sugar, palm oil, and chemical industries worldwide. Provides Formico 3G biorefining technologies for non-wood and non-food materials; Formicofib for non-wood fibre papermaking; Formicobio for producing non-food cellulosic bioethanol. Licenses proprietary biorefinery technologies to ABEPL.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Godavari Biorefineries: Godavari Biorefineries is one of India's leading integrated biorefineries, producing ethanol plus bio-based chemicals from sugarcane and biomass feedstocks. It competes head-on with ABEPL in both fuel ethanol and bio-based chemical markets in India.
• Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL): IOCL operates India's largest 2G cellulosic ethanol plant at Panipat using agricultural residue feedstock. It is a direct competitor in the 2G ethanol space targeting the same E20 blending mandate and is also a potential bulk buyer of ABEPL's output.
• Praj Industries (Praj Matrix R&D): Praj is an Indian process technology provider with its own Enfinity 2G cellulosic ethanol platform and engineering capability for biorefineries. It is a direct competitor for 2G ethanol projects and a potential alternative technology licensor for future ABEPL capacity additions.
• Clariant (Sunliquid): Clariant developed the Sunliquid cellulosic ethanol technology using agricultural residues and operates demonstration-scale biorefineries in Europe. Comparable to ABEPL in 2G cellulosic ethanol pathway and multi-product biorefinery logic.
• POET (Project Liberty): POET operates Project Liberty, one of the largest commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facilities in the world, using corn stover via a proprietary biochemical platform. Directly comparable to ABEPL as a 2G cellulosic ethanol producer at scale.

Broad incumbents

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL): BPCL is a major Indian PSU oil marketing company investing heavily in 2G ethanol, biodiesel and renewable fuels. It is both a potential bulk offtaker of ABEPL's ethanol and a broader incumbent player in India's biofuel blending mandate.
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL): HPCL is an Indian PSU OMC pursuing biofuel blending targets including 2G ethanol investments. Comparable to ABEPL as an offtake channel for fuel ethanol and as a competitor building captive 2G capacity.
• Reliance Industries (Reliance New Energy): Reliance is investing aggressively in renewables, biofuels and hydrogen through Reliance New Energy. As a broad incumbent conglomerate entering cellulosic fuels, it competes for policy support, feedstock supply, and offtake share in India's E20 market.

Others

• Chempolis Oy: Chempolis is the Finnish technology licensor of ABEPL's Formicobio and Formico 3G biorefinery platforms. It is an enabling technology partner — comparable because it underpins ABEPL's process IP and competes with Praj and Clariant for 2G biorefinery contracts in India and globally.

Emerging players

• LanzaTech: LanzaTech uses gas-fermentation to produce ethanol and platform chemicals from industrial off-gases, representing an alternative low-carbon ethanol pathway. Comparable to ABEPL as a non-conventional, sustainability-focused ethanol platform chasing carbon-fuel substitution markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/assam-bio-refinery-private-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited