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Monday | October 12, 2026 | Dhaka

BD explores fuel production from sewage, farm waste

PM assures support for waste-to-fuel technology
 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:01 AM, 11 October 2026  Updated: 10:52 PM, 10 October 2026
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman views a demonstration of an innovative research project designed to produce fuel oil from human waste and agricultural residues at the Prime Minister's Office in the capital on Saturday.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has assured government support for a research initiative to convert human waste, sewage, kitchen waste and agricultural residues into fuel oil, with researchers saying the technology could help reduce Bangladesh’s dependence on imported energy.

The Prime Minister gave the assurance on Saturday when a team of researchers led by Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) Professor Dr Md Khalequzzaman briefed him on the technology at his office in Tejgaon, according to a release from the Prime Minister’s Press Wing.

The technology uses hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), a process that converts waste materials into biocrude, which can be further assessed for fuel production.

The researchers said they had worked on the technology for around 10 years and achieved a biocrude yield of 50-55 per cent in laboratory tests. They have also made progress in producing biocrude with a high diesel content.

The next stage is to establish a pilot plant capable of processing one to three tonnes of waste a day. The facility would be used to evaluate the technology’s efficiency, production costs and commercial viability.
The estimated cost of the pilot project is Tk 100-120 crore.

According to the researchers, commercial-scale production could replace around 10-15 per cent of imported crude oil and save foreign currency equivalent to Tk 6,500-13,000 crore annually.

However, they said the estimates would need to be validated through large-scale technical and economic assessments before the technology’s commercial potential could be established.

Beyond energy production, the initiative could help reduce environmental pollution, improve waste management and create opportunities for developing a domestic fuel industry, the researchers said.
The Prime Minister assured the team of the government’s necessary cooperation in advancing the initiative.

Power and Energy Minister Iqbal Mahmood Tuku, State Minister Anindya Islam Amit, University Grants Commission member Professor Abdullah Al Mamun, KUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Masud and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation Chairman Dr Mohammad Rafiqul Islam attended the briefing.