Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour For India

The non-renewability, ecological concerns and health risks connected with the fossil fuels has actually resulted in expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the standard ones. An appealing technology, still in its infancy, that might show us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels obtained from grease or animal-fat that could be utilized to run diesel motors. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, jatropha curcas etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It includes no petroleum however can be combined with petroleum diesel for usage or might be utilized in its pure form.

Developed countries particularly United States and European Countries have actually already made substantial advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have discovered its use throughout industries and verticals and might become a perfect cleaner and less expensive option to gas, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also begun exploring the opportunities to produce and use bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already functioning in the nation where vegetable oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol usually) to produce bio-diesel.

The main reason for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net influence on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines similar to normal petroleum diesel and for this reason can be utilized with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not need any different infrastructure for its storage and can be kept simply like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the country, rising petroleum costs 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 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 utilized as the pre-dominant raw products for oil processing and biodiesel production but 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 advantage of using jatropha curcas as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in big in wastelands all throughout India needing extremely little water in contrast to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful life-span of several years. The Jatropha seeds include 40% oil and are considered to be an exceptional source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometres of land ideal for the jatropha curcas growing in the country. India now

A research study approximates that even if a blending effort of 2% jatropha curcas based Biodiesel is accomplished in 2011-12, India will conserve around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will produce 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 steps to encourage the cultivation of jatropha curcas in India offering totally free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India requires to now reinforce its efforts to make the max use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues 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 obstacle of Global Warming but could decrease our reliance on foreign oil and add to our own economy.