New Delhi-based renewable energy start-up firm CEF (Clean Effentech International) Group is setting up plants across the country to produce compressed biogas (CBG) and manure.

The plants are part of the agenda of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) to deploy 100 such plants in a couple of years. 

The construction of a manure plant is completed at Muzzafarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, while another will come up at Rohtak in Haryana. An 'iconic project near the Dal Lake in Kashmir involves the conversion of weed into organic manure by CEF for 25 years. Moreover, six CNG and manure plants will come up in Uttar Pradesh, two in Punjab and one each in Ahmedabad and Jammu.

The plants will produce CBG, and the solid digestate which is a by-product and will help in manure production after enrichment. Projects in the pipeline include a plant in Madhya Pradesh and along the Gujarat-Maharashtra border.

CEF will be funding the projects through a mix of equity and investments, while NAFED will be the facilitator.

The company has signed an agreement with Indian Oil (IOCL) and raw material suppliers, and the environmental impact assessment and permission from the pollution control boards are in place.

The organic manure enriched with NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) level at four percent and organic carbon content at 22 percent, will be a substitute for DAP and urea.