Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, ecological issues and health threats connected with the nonrenewable fuel sources has led to exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the traditional ones. An appealing innovation, still in its infancy, that could reveal us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels originated from veggie oil or animal-fat that could be used 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 consists of no petroleum however can be mixed with petroleum diesel for use or could be utilized in its pure type.

Developed countries especially United States and European Countries have actually already made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually discovered its usage across industries and verticals and could become a perfect cleaner and cheaper option to petrol, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has actually also started exploring the chances to produce and use bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already working in the nation where veggie oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol normally) to produce bio-diesel.

The main factor for the increasing need for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net effect on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines simply like typical petroleum diesel and hence can be utilized with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not require any separate facilities for its storage and can be kept just like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the nation, increasing petroleum costs and the ecological hazards of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has used up efforts to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing units. The Government revealed its ‘National Biofuel Policy’ on 12 September 2008 which aims to satisfy 20% of India’s diesel need with bio-fuels in the coming years.

Globally, edible vegetable oils like sunflower, soya bean, rape seed, palm oil are utilized as the pre-dominant raw products for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the maximum capacity to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil – a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The greatest benefit of utilizing Jatropha as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in huge quantities in wastelands all throughout India requiring extremely little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful life expectancy of several 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 recognized 400,000 square kilometres of land suitable for the Jatropha growing in the country. India now

A study estimates that even if a blending initiative of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is achieved in 2011-12, India will save around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will produce around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and assistance in reduction of Green House by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The federal government is taking actions to encourage the growing of Jatropha in India offering totally free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now reinforce 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 must likewise be checked out. It will not only provide an answer to the difficulty of Global Warming but could decrease our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.