Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, ecological concerns and health dangers associated with the fossil fuels has actually caused expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the conventional ones. A promising innovation, still in its infancy, that could reveal us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels originated from grease or animal-fat that could 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 contains no petroleum but can be blended with petroleum diesel for use or could be used in its pure type.

Developed countries especially United States and European Countries have currently made substantial advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually discovered its use throughout industries and verticals and could emerge as a perfect cleaner and cheaper option to fuel, diesel and fossil fuels. India has actually likewise begun exploring the chances to produce and use 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 typically) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary factor for the increasing need for biodiesels is the truth that biodiesels are sustainable and carbon-neutral, thus having no net effect on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines similar to regular petroleum diesel and for this reason can be used with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not need any separate infrastructure for its and can be kept simply like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the nation, rising petroleum costs and the environmental threats of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has taken up efforts to establish 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 meet 20% of India’s diesel need 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 basic materials 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 advantage of using Jatropha as a raw product is that this plant can be grown in huge quantities in wastelands all across India requiring very little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful lifespan of several years. The Jatropha seeds consist of 40% oil and are thought about to be an outstanding source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has recognized 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the Jatropha cultivation in the country. India now

A study approximates 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 create around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and help in decrease 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 supplying free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India needs to now enhance its efforts to make the max usage of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the opportunities for drawing out biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil ought to also be checked out. It will not only offer an answer to the difficulty of Global Warming but might decrease our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.