Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, environmental issues and health threats connected with the nonrenewable fuel sources has actually led to exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the 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 might be used to run diesel motors. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, Jatropha etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It consists of no petroleum however can be blended with petroleum diesel for usage or could be used in its pure type.

Developed countries specifically United States and European Countries have already made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have found its use across markets and verticals and might emerge as a perfect cleaner and more affordable option to gas, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also started checking out the opportunities to produce and use bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already operating in the country where vegetable oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol normally) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary reason for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the truth that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, hence having no net effect on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines similar to regular petroleum diesel and hence can be utilized with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not require any different facilities for its storage and can be saved just like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the country, increasing petroleum costs and the environmental hazards 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 aims to meet 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 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 benefit of using Jatropha as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in huge quantities in wastelands all throughout India needing very little water in comparison to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful life-span of numerous years. The Jatropha seeds include 40% oil and are thought about to be an exceptional source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has recognized 400,000 square kilometres of land ideal for the Jatropha growing in the country. India now

A study approximates that even if a mixing effort of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is attained in 2011-12, India will conserve 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 encourage the growing of Jatropha in India supplying free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now reinforce its efforts to make the maximum usage of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil ought to likewise be checked out. It will not only provide an answer to the challenge of Global Warming however might reduce our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.