Mission NewEnergy Ltd

Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health hazards connected with the nonrenewable fuel sources has caused expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the standard ones. An appealing innovation, still in its infancy, that might reveal us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels derived 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 contains no petroleum however can be blended with petroleum diesel for usage or could be utilized in its pure form.

Developed countries particularly United States and European Countries have already made considerable advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its usage across industries and verticals and could emerge as a perfect cleaner and less expensive alternative to fuel, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also started exploring the opportunities to produce and use bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already working in the nation where vegetable oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol usually) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary reason for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, hence having no net effect on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines much like normal petroleum diesel and hence can be used with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not require any different facilities for its storage and can be saved similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the country, rising petroleum rates and the environmental hazards of nonrenewable fuel sources, 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 revealed its ‘National Biofuel Policy’ on 12 September 2008 which aims to meet 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 used as the pre-dominant raw materials 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 biggest advantage of as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in big amounts in wastelands all throughout India requiring extremely little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful lifespan of numerous decades. The Jatropha seeds contain 40% oil and are considered to be an outstanding source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually determined 400,000 square kilometres of land suitable for the Jatropha growing in the country. India now

A 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 assistance in decrease 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 requires 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 should likewise be checked out. It will not just provide a response to the challenge of Global Warming but could decrease our dependence on foreign oil and add to our own economy.