Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, environmental issues and health threats related to the fossil fuels has led to exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the standard ones. An appealing innovation, still in its infancy, that might reveal us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels stemmed from vegetable oil or animal-fat that could 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 includes no petroleum however can be blended with petroleum diesel for usage or might be utilized in its pure form.

Developed nations especially United States and European Countries have actually already made considerable advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually discovered its use across industries and verticals and could become a perfect cleaner and more affordable alternative to gas, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also begun checking out the chances to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently operating in the nation where vegetable oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.

The main reason for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the truth that biodiesels are sustainable and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net effect on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines simply like regular petroleum diesel and hence can be utilized with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not need any separate infrastructure for its storage and can be kept much like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the nation, increasing petroleum costs and the environmental risks of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has actually used up initiatives to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing units. The Government announced its ‘National Biofuel Policy’ on 12 September 2008 which intends to satisfy 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 but in India the maximum potential to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil – a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The biggest advantage of utilizing Jatropha as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in big quantities in wastelands all across India requiring very little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial life expectancy of several decades. The Jatropha seeds consist of 40% oil and are thought about to be an outstanding source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has determined 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the Jatropha cultivation in the . India now

A study approximates that even if a blending effort of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is achieved in 2011-12, India will conserve 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 growing of Jatropha in India offering totally free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now strengthen its efforts to make the fullest usage of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the opportunities for drawing out biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil ought to also be explored. It will not only supply an answer to the obstacle of Global Warming however might reduce our dependence on foreign oil and add to our own economy.