Distilleries Must Diversify Beyond Ethanol

India's distillery sector is being urged to move beyond its traditional focus on ethanol production and adopt a broader biorefinery approach. At the India Bioenergy & Tech Expo (IBET) 2026, industry experts highlighted opportunities for distilleries in producing multiple products from their feedstocks, including DDGS, corn oil, biogas, biogenic CO₂, biofertilisers, and high-value proteins.

The discussion centered around the need to extract maximum value from every component of the feedstock. Sambhaji Kadupatil, Director General at Vasantdada Sugar Institute, emphasized the role that digital technologies could play in improving efficiency at the farm level, particularly in sugarcane cultivation.

Pradeep Dhokare, Managing Director at Universal Forces, pointed to CO₂ as a significant output from distillery operations that is still frequently treated as a waste stream. However, Naresh Goel, Chairperson of IFGE: Grain Ethanol Distillers Association and Director at Pingaksh Beverages, cautioned that the existence of CO₂ does not automatically translate into a commercial opportunity.

Mayank Jain, Senior Marketing Manager & Head of Strategic Intelligence, MEIA at Novonesis, highlighted several underdeveloped opportunities in grain-based distilleries, including distillers corn oil and biogas. He also pointed to the potential for diversification without requiring major additional capital expenditure.