Lumen Biofuels with Arvind Limited

Arvind Limited, one of India's leading textile-to-retail conglomerates, and Peak Sustainability Ventures have partnered to build a cotton-stalk torrefaction plant in Gujarat with a capacity of 40,000+ tonnes per year. The plant converts cotton stalk into torrefied biomass — a cleaner, drop-in substitute for coal in Arvind's manufacturing boilers — accelerating Arvind's goal to become a 100% coal-free company by 2030.

India produces over 500 million tonnes of agricultural waste each year. In cotton, only ~15% of the plant is used for textiles; the remaining woody biomass — the cotton stalk — is commonly burnt or left in the field. Torrefaction enhances the energy density, stability and handling of this biomass, increasing its calorific value by up to 20% so it can be used in existing industrial boilers with up to 100% coal replacement and no significant retrofit.

Peak has been instrumental in putting the project together — developing the reactor design, identifying a leading European torrefaction and biochar technology partner, and funding the project capex and operations. Arvind serves as the long-term offtake party and feedstock provider, drawing on its network of over 90,000 cotton farmers.

The project has received a grant from the Apparel Impact Institute's (Aii) Climate Solutions Portfolio Grant program. The broader intent is to build a robust, financially-viable waste-to-energy platform that is catalytic in addressing India's fossil-fuel usage and serves as a scalable blueprint for industry.