1 Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour For India
Senaida Luster edited this page 7 days ago


The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health hazards related to the nonrenewable fuel sources has resulted in exploration of alternative sources of energy to substitute the standard ones. A promising innovation, still in its infancy, that might reveal us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels originated from grease or animal-fat that might be utilized to run diesel engines. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, jatropha curcas etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It contains no petroleum however can be blended with petroleum diesel for usage or might be used in its pure kind.

Developed countries particularly United States and European Countries have currently made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its use across industries and verticals and could emerge as an ideal cleaner and more affordable option to gas, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has also started checking out the chances to produce and use bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently operating in the country where vegetable oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol normally) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary factor for the increasing need for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are renewable and carbon-neutral, thus having no net effect on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines simply like normal petroleum diesel and thus can be utilized with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not require any separate infrastructure for its storage and can be saved similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the country, rising petroleum prices and the environmental risks of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has taken up initiatives to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing systems. The Government revealed its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which aims to fulfill 20% of India's diesel demand with bio-fuels in the coming years.

Globally, edible vegetable oils like sunflower, soya bean, rape seed, palm oil are used as the pre-dominant raw materials for oil processing and biodiesel production but in India the maximum potential to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil - a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The greatest benefit of utilizing Jatropha as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in big quantities in wastelands all throughout India requiring little water in contrast to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial life-span of numerous decades. The Jatropha seeds include 40% oil and are considered to be an outstanding source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has recognized 400,000 square kilometres of land suitable for the jatropha curcas growing in the nation. India now

A research study approximates that even if a mixing effort of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is attained in 2011-12, India will save around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will create around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and assistance in decrease of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The government is taking steps to encourage the cultivation of jatropha curcas in India supplying free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now enhance its efforts to make the maximum use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides jatropha curcas, the opportunities for drawing out biodiesel from veggie oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to likewise be checked out. It will not just offer a response to the challenge of Global Warming but could decrease our reliance on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.