Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, ecological issues and health threats associated with the nonrenewable fuel sources has actually resulted in expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the standard ones. A promising technology, still in its infancy, that might show us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels stemmed from grease or animal-fat that might be used to run diesel engines. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, Jatropha and so on can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It includes no petroleum however can be mixed with petroleum diesel for use or could be utilized in its pure form.

Developed nations especially United States and European Countries have currently made substantial advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually discovered its use throughout industries and verticals and might emerge as a perfect cleaner and more affordable option to fuel, diesel and fossil fuels. India has actually also started exploring the opportunities to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A number 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 main reason for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, thus having no net impact on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines just like typical petroleum diesel and for this reason can be used with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not need any different infrastructure for its storage and can be kept much like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the nation, rising petroleum prices and the environmental threats of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has actually taken up initiatives to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established more oil processing units. 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 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 most significant advantage of utilizing Jatropha as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in big amounts in wastelands all throughout India requiring very little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful life-span of numerous decades. The Jatropha seeds consist of 40% oil and are considered to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has determined 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the Jatropha cultivation in the nation. India now

A study approximates that even if a mixing effort of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is 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 federal government is taking actions to motivate the cultivation of Jatropha in India providing complimentary seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now enhance its efforts to make the maximum use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil should also be explored. It will not only offer a response to the difficulty of Global Warming however might reduce our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.