Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour For India

The non-renewability, environmental issues and health hazards related to the fossil fuels has resulted in expedition of alternative sources of energy to replace the conventional ones. An appealing technology, still in its infancy, that could reveal us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels stemmed from grease or animal-fat that might 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 contains no petroleum however can be mixed with petroleum diesel for usage or might be utilized in its pure kind.

Developed nations particularly United States and European Countries have already made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have discovered its use across markets and verticals and could become an ideal cleaner and less expensive option to petrol, diesel and fossil fuels. India has likewise started exploring the chances to produce and use bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently operating in the country where veggie oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary factor for the increasing need for biodiesels is the truth that biodiesels are renewable and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net influence on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines similar to typical petroleum diesel and thus can be used with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not need any separate infrastructure for its storage and can be kept similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the country, rising petroleum prices and the environmental dangers of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has actually taken up initiatives to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing systems. The Government announced its ‘National Biofuel Policy’ on 12 September 2008 which intends to fulfill 20% of India’s diesel demand 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 basic materials for oil processing and biodiesel production but in India the optimal potential to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil – a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The most significant benefit of utilizing jatropha curcas as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in substantial quantities in wastelands all throughout India requiring really little water in contrast to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful lifespan of several years. The Jatropha seeds include 40% oil and are considered to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually determined 400,000 square kilometres of land suitable for the Jatropha cultivation in the nation. India now

A study approximates that even if a blending effort of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is attained in 2011-12, India will conserve 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 federal government is taking actions to encourage the cultivation of Jatropha in India supplying free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now enhance its efforts to make the max usage of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to also be checked out. It will not only offer an answer to the obstacle of Global Warming but could reduce our reliance on and add to our own economy.