Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, ecological issues and health threats connected with the nonrenewable fuel sources has actually caused expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the conventional ones. An appealing technology, still in its infancy, that could show us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels stemmed from grease 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 contains no petroleum but can be combined with petroleum diesel for usage or could be used in its pure type.

Developed nations specifically United States and European Countries have actually already made considerable advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have found its usage across markets and verticals and could become a perfect cleaner and less expensive option to fuel, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also started exploring the chances to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently functioning in the nation where veggie oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol normally) to produce bio-diesel.

The main factor for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are and carbon-neutral, thus having no net impact on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines much like regular petroleum diesel and hence can be utilized with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not need any different facilities for its storage and can be kept similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the nation, rising petroleum rates and the ecological dangers of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has taken up initiatives to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing systems. The Government announced its ‘National Biofuel Policy’ on 12 September 2008 which intends to meet 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 products for oil processing and biodiesel production however 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 basic material is that this plant can be grown in huge amounts in wastelands all throughout India requiring very little water in comparison to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial lifespan of several decades. The Jatropha seeds consist of 40% oil and are thought about to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has determined 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the Jatropha cultivation in the country. India now

A study approximates that even if a mixing initiative of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is achieved 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 decrease of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The government is taking steps to motivate the growing of Jatropha in India providing 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 avenues for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to also be explored. It will not only supply a response to the challenge of Global Warming however might reduce our dependence on foreign oil and add to our own economy.