In India, cow dung to drive cars 5,500 KM without causing pollution

Uttar Pradesh’s rural economy is set to get a boost as, for the first time, methane will be produced from cow dung on a large scale, producing fuel that can power vehicles over long distances, creating rural jobs, and strengthening the green economy.

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In this photograph taken on November 15, 2022, Sita Devi, a member of the Bishnoi community, carries cow dung cakes to be used as a fuel for cooking in Khejarli village, some 30 kms from Jodhpur in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. PHOTO: AFP

August 11, 2025

LUCKNOW – Uttar Pradesh’s rural economy is set to get a boost as, for the first time, methane will be produced from cow dung on a large scale, producing fuel that can power vehicles over long distances, creating rural jobs, and strengthening the green economy.

The experts on the matter are of the view that cow dung from a single cow can yield methane, which is equivalent to 225 litres of petrol every year. After going through a purification process, compressed biogas (CBG) can run a car over 5,500 km.

Uttar Pradesh’s Go-Seva-Aayog Chairman Shyam Bihari Gupta said here on Sunday that from stray bovines, the state receives an average of 54 lakh kilograms of dung per day. This dung can be processed in CBG plants and used for purposes ranging from methane production to household cooking fuel in rural areas, heating fuel for small industries, and as an organic solution in natural farming. This can potentially generate annual earnings worth lakhs of rupees.

The OSD of the Go-Go-Sewa-Aayog, Dr Anurag Srivastava, added, “Methane farming can become an alternative to fossil fuels in the future. The UP Government’s initiative in this area is promoting the concept of ‘Waste to Wealth,’ which will provide effective fuel for transportation and the green economy. The methane produced from the dung of each bovine is a form of natural gas, which is both environmentally friendly and economical.

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