3 IIT-Delhi Guys Set Out to Capture the USD 2.4 Billion Bio-CNG Market!

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Talking with Prasun Jain & Sandeep Garg, co-founders of Green Brick Eco Solutions or GBES in short, you get a feeling that, this is what the green segment in India needs. In a very calm and succinct manner, they explained about GBES: Biogas Purification. This is one aspect along with which GBES also deals with sustainability reporting and waste to energy conversion measures. I met them at the INFUSE Venture Accelerator, at IIM-A, during the Bootcamp held there. The fresh air of the IIM-A campus accentuated the seriousness that such a topic needed. Our talk went about their entrepreneurial venture and their journey till date.

Batchmates at IIT-D in 2004, Prasun, Sandeep, and Dhawal Parate took up jobs at different companies post their graduation. This, as Prasun says, helped them get the know-how about the industry. Prasun is an ex-P&G, ex-Deloitte, and was a member of the founding team at Zomato (then foodiebay.com). Sandeep is an ex-Akzo Nobel, a MN paint company. Whereas Dhawal, an ex-PwC, has co-developed the indigenous methGENTM (Biogas upgradation) technology. This trio then came together and started GBES in June 2011. “Right from the start, we wanted a clear cut link to the bottom line and wanted a significant value addition,” says Prasun.

Sandeep, goes on to explain the technology in detail. Bio-CNG is Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) sourced from BioGas and has the same composition and properties as natural gas, and can be used to substitute/complement NG or LPG. India’s total bioCNG potential is US$ 2.4 Billion per annum. He highlights the calorific value differences among the three options in the chart below:

GBES’s technology enables low capital utilization and localization capability, and along with IIT-D they have developed High Pressure Water Scrubbing technology for large scale setups. This cost effective technology has been patented by IIT-D and GBES industrializes it. GBES has also developed the proprietary technology for PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) system of Biogas upgradation. This has helped reduce losses significantly, and is very effective at places where water is scarce and of poor quality. GBES technology is a great value addition to the companies producing biogas.

Focus Areas:

• Biogas Generation and Purification/ Compressed Biogas/ Biogas Bottling; GBES has developed a Proprietary Technology in collaboration with IIT Delhi. We convert Biogas to Natural Gas
• Soil Biotechnology (SBT); An Innovative and Green Waste water Treatment technology developed by IIT Bombay. GBES is promoting and commercializing SBT across India
• Waste to Energy / Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to Energy: GBES provides End to End techno-commercial assistance and support
• Water, Carbon and Energy Management; GBES assists client companies to manage their water and carbon footprint and provide a comprehensive energy management solution.

The untapped potential of the target market:

The firm has a strong advisory board that comprises: Prof. P.M.V. Subbarao: Professor at IIT Delhi, Dr. A.R. Shukla: Advisor, Bio Energy (Retd.), Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Mr. Vinod Kala: Founder & Managing Director, Emergent Ventures India, and Khushboo Maheshwari, a finance & strategy expert, and an ex-IIT Bombay and MBA from Harvard Business School.

On a concluding note, Prasun shares the vision statement of GBES: “Our vision is to be India’s most respected company in the field of environmental sustainability. We intend to create and develop novel solutions and services in the domain of waste to energy.”