Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health dangers associated with the nonrenewable fuel sources has led to expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the standard ones. An appealing technology, still in its infancy, that could show us the way 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 etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It contains no petroleum however can be blended with petroleum diesel for use or might be used in its pure form.

Developed countries specifically United States and European Countries have actually already made considerable advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have discovered its use across industries and verticals and might emerge as a perfect cleaner and cheaper option to fuel, diesel and fossil fuels. India has actually likewise started exploring the opportunities to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already working in the nation where veggie oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol typically) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary factor for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the truth that biodiesels are sustainable and carbon-neutral, hence having no net influence on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines just like regular 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 saved similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the country, increasing petroleum costs and the ecological threats of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has taken up efforts to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing systems. The Government announced its ‘National Biofuel on 12 September 2008 which aims to fulfill 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 products for oil processing and biodiesel production however 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 greatest advantage of using Jatropha as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in huge quantities in wastelands all throughout India requiring extremely little water in contrast to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial lifespan of a number of years. The Jatropha seeds consist of 40% oil and are considered to be an exceptional source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually identified 400,000 square kilometres of land suitable for the Jatropha growing in the country. India now

A research study estimates that even if a blending initiative of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is attained in 2011-12, India will save around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will generate around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and help in decrease of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The federal government is taking steps to motivate the cultivation of Jatropha in India providing free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India requires to now strengthen its efforts to make the maximum usage of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues for extracting biodiesel from veggie oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to likewise be explored. It will not only supply an answer to the difficulty of Global Warming however might decrease our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.