Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health risks related to the nonrenewable fuel sources has caused exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the traditional ones. An appealing technology, still in its infancy, that could reveal us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels originated from vegetable oil or animal-fat that could be used to run diesel motors. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, Jatropha and so on can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It consists of no petroleum however can be mixed with petroleum diesel for use or could be utilized in its pure kind.

Developed nations especially United States and European Countries have actually currently made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its usage across markets and verticals and could emerge as an ideal cleaner and more affordable option to gas, diesel and fossil fuels. India has actually also begun exploring the chances to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently functioning in the nation where veggie oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.

The main reason for the increasing need for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, thus having no net effect on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines similar to normal petroleum diesel and thus 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, rising petroleum rates and the ecological dangers of nonrenewable fuel sources, 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 raw 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 biggest advantage of using Jatropha as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in huge quantities in wastelands all across India needing extremely little water in comparison to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful lifespan of numerous decades. The Jatropha seeds consist of 40% oil and are considered to be an exceptional source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually identified 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the Jatropha cultivation in the country. India now

A research that even if a mixing effort of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is attained in 2011-12, India will save 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 government is taking steps to motivate the cultivation of Jatropha in India providing free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India requires to now enhance its efforts to make the fullest use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil should likewise be explored. It will not only supply a response to the challenge of Global Warming but might reduce our reliance on foreign oil and add to our own economy.