Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, ecological concerns and health threats connected with the nonrenewable fuel sources has caused expedition 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 grease or animal-fat that might 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 however can be mixed with petroleum diesel for use or could be utilized in its pure kind.

Developed countries particularly United States and European Countries have actually currently made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its usage throughout industries and verticals and might emerge as a perfect cleaner and less expensive alternative to fuel, diesel and fossil fuels. India has actually also started exploring the chances to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already functioning in the nation where veggie oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol usually) to produce bio-diesel.

The main factor for the increasing need for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net effect on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines simply like regular petroleum diesel and for this reason can be used with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not need any different infrastructure for its storage and can be saved similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the nation, increasing petroleum costs and the ecological dangers of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has used up initiatives to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing systems. The Government revealed 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, oils like sunflower, soya bean, rape seed, palm oil are utilized as the pre-dominant raw 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 using Jatropha as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in big amounts in wastelands all throughout India needing very little water in contrast to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful life-span of a number of decades. The Jatropha seeds include 40% oil and are considered to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometres of land ideal for the Jatropha cultivation in the country. India now

A study estimates that even if a mixing initiative of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is accomplished in 2011-12, India will save 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 government is taking steps to motivate the cultivation of Jatropha in India offering totally 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 opportunities for extracting biodiesel from veggie oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil should also be checked out. It will not only provide a response to the difficulty of Global Warming however could decrease our reliance on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.