Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, ecological concerns and health risks related to the fossil fuels has resulted in expedition of alternative sources of energy to replace the traditional ones. An appealing 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 utilized 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 contains no petroleum however can be combined with petroleum diesel for usage or could be utilized in its pure kind.

Developed countries particularly United States and European Countries have actually currently made considerable advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually discovered its usage throughout markets and verticals and might become an ideal cleaner and cheaper 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 country where vegetable oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol normally) to produce bio-diesel.

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

Considering the growing energy demand in the country, increasing petroleum rates and the ecological risks of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has actually used up initiatives to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing units. The Government announced its ‘National Biofuel 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 utilized as the pre-dominant basic materials for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the optimal potential 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 raw product is that this plant can be grown in substantial quantities in wastelands all across India needing really little water in comparison to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful life-span of a number of years. 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 ideal 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 accomplished in 2011-12, India will conserve around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will produce around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and help in reduction of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The federal government is taking steps to encourage the growing of Jatropha in India offering complimentary seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now reinforce its efforts to make the maximum use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues for drawing out biodiesel from veggie 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 reduce our dependence on foreign oil and add to our own economy.