Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour For India

The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health hazards related to the nonrenewable fuel sources has led to expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the traditional 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 could 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 consists of no petroleum however can be combined 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 actually found its use across markets and verticals and could emerge as an ideal cleaner and less expensive alternative to fuel, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has actually likewise started checking out the opportunities to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently working in the nation where veggie oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.

The main reason for the increasing need for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are renewable and carbon-neutral, hence having no net effect on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines just like normal petroleum diesel and for this reason can be used with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not need any separate infrastructure for its storage and can be saved much like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the country, increasing petroleum prices and the ecological dangers of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has used up efforts to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established more oil processing units. The Government revealed 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 used as the pre-dominant raw materials for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the optimal potential to produce biodiesels is from jatropha curcas oil – a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha jatropha curcas. The greatest benefit of utilizing jatropha curcas as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in substantial quantities in wastelands all throughout India needing extremely little water in comparison to other . Once grown, the plant has a beneficial lifespan of several decades. The jatropha curcas seeds contain 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 appropriate for the Jatropha cultivation in the country. India now

A study approximates that even if a blending initiative of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is accomplished in 2011-12, India will conserve around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will generate 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 steps to motivate the growing of jatropha curcas in India providing free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now enhance its efforts to make the fullest use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil ought to also be checked out. It will not only offer a response to the obstacle of Global Warming however might reduce our reliance on foreign oil and add to our own economy.