1 Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour For India
Cynthia Bach edited this page 4 months ago


The non-renewability, environmental issues and health dangers associated with the nonrenewable fuel sources has caused expedition of alternative sources of energy to replace the conventional ones. An appealing innovation, still in its infancy, that could show us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels stemmed from vegetable oil or animal-fat that could be utilized to run diesel motors. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, Jatropha and so on can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It consists of no petroleum but can be blended with petroleum diesel for use or could be utilized in its pure kind.

Developed nations specifically United States and European Countries have already made considerable advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its use across markets and verticals and could become an ideal cleaner and more affordable alternative to petrol, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also begun checking out the chances to produce and use bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently operating in the nation where vegetable oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol typically) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary factor for the increasing need for biodiesels is the reality that are sustainable and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net influence on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines similar to typical petroleum diesel and thus can be utilized with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not require any different infrastructure for its storage and can be kept just like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the country, rising petroleum rates and the ecological threats of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has taken up initiatives to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established more oil processing systems. The Government revealed its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which aims to satisfy 20% of India's diesel need with bio-fuels in the coming years.

Globally, edible veggie oils like sunflower, soya bean, rape seed, palm oil are utilized as the pre-dominant raw materials for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the maximum potential to produce biodiesels is from jatropha curcas oil - a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The greatest benefit of using jatropha curcas as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in substantial amounts in wastelands all throughout India needing very little water in contrast to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial life-span of a number of years. The jatropha curcas seeds include 40% oil and are thought about to be an exceptional source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the jatropha curcas cultivation in the nation. India now

A study approximates that even if a blending effort of 2% jatropha curcas based Biodiesel is achieved in 2011-12, India will conserve 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 encourage the cultivation of Jatropha in India supplying free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now strengthen its efforts to make the fullest use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil must likewise be explored. It will not just offer an answer to the challenge of Global Warming however could reduce our dependence on foreign oil and add to our own economy.