Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health risks related to the fossil fuels has resulted in of alternative sources of energy to replace the conventional ones. An appealing innovation, still in its infancy, that could reveal us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels originated from grease or animal-fat that could be utilized to run diesel motors. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, Jatropha etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It includes no petroleum however can be blended with petroleum diesel for use or might be used in its pure kind.

Developed countries especially United States and European Countries have actually currently made substantial advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its use across industries and verticals and might become a perfect cleaner and more affordable alternative to gas, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also started checking out the opportunities to produce and use bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently working in the country where veggie oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol usually) to produce bio-diesel.

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

Considering the growing energy demand in the nation, rising petroleum rates and the environmental threats of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has taken up efforts to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established more oil processing units. The Government announced its ‘National Biofuel Policy’ on 12 September 2008 which intends to satisfy 20% of India’s diesel need with bio-fuels in the coming years.

Globally, edible vegetable oils like sunflower, soya bean, rape seed, palm oil are utilized as the pre-dominant basic materials for oil processing and biodiesel production but in India the optimal capacity to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil – a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The most significant advantage of using Jatropha as a raw product is that this plant can be grown in big amounts in wastelands all throughout India needing really little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful lifespan of a number of years. The Jatropha seeds include 40% oil and are considered to be an outstanding source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually identified 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the Jatropha growing in the country. India now

A research study approximates that even if a mixing initiative of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is achieved in 2011-12, India will save around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will generate around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and assistance in reduction of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The government is taking actions to motivate the cultivation of Jatropha in India providing free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India needs to now enhance its efforts to make the maximum use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil should also be checked out. It will not only supply an answer to the obstacle of Global Warming however could reduce our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.