Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health threats connected with the nonrenewable fuel sources has actually resulted in expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the standard ones. A promising innovation, still in its infancy, that could show us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels obtained from vegetable oil or animal-fat that could be used 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 includes no petroleum but can be combined with petroleum diesel for use or could be used in its pure kind.

Developed nations especially United States and European Countries have currently made considerable advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have discovered its use throughout markets and verticals and could emerge as an ideal cleaner and more affordable alternative to fuel, diesel and fossil fuels. India has actually likewise begun exploring the opportunities to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently operating in the country where veggie oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol normally) to produce bio-diesel.

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

Considering the growing energy need in the country, increasing petroleum prices and the environmental risks of fuel sources, the Indian Government has used up initiatives to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established 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 vegetable oils like sunflower, soya bean, rape seed, palm oil are used as the pre-dominant basic materials for oil processing and biodiesel production but 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 utilizing Jatropha as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in big quantities in wastelands all throughout India requiring extremely little water in contrast to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful life-span of several years. 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 ideal for the Jatropha cultivation in the country. India now

A research 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 create around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and aid 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 supplying complimentary seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India requires to now strengthen its efforts to make the fullest use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from veggie oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to likewise be explored. It will not just supply an answer to the difficulty of Global Warming but could decrease our reliance on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.