Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health dangers related to the fossil fuels has actually caused expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the standard ones. A promising technology, still in its infancy, that could show 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 motors. 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 blended with petroleum diesel for usage or could be utilized in its pure kind.

Developed nations especially United States and European Countries have already made substantial advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its usage throughout markets and verticals and could emerge as a perfect cleaner and cheaper option to petrol, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has also begun exploring the opportunities to produce and use bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already working in the country where veggie oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol typically) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary reason for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, thus having no net impact on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines simply like normal petroleum diesel and thus can be utilized with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not require any separate facilities for its storage and can be kept much like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the country, rising petroleum rates and the environmental dangers of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has used up initiatives to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established more oil processing systems. The Government announced its ‘National Biofuel Policy’ on 12 September 2008 which intends to fulfill 20% of India’s diesel need with in the coming years.

Globally, edible vegetable 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 capacity to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil – a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The most significant advantage of utilizing Jatropha as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in big amounts in wastelands all throughout India needing extremely little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful life-span of numerous years. The Jatropha seeds contain 40% oil and are considered to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has determined 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the Jatropha growing in the country. India now

A research study estimates that even if a blending initiative of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is accomplished in 2011-12, India will conserve 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 federal government is taking steps to encourage the cultivation of Jatropha in India providing complimentary seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India needs to now reinforce its efforts to make the max use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues for extracting biodiesel from veggie oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to likewise be checked out. It will not only offer a response to the difficulty of Global Warming but might reduce our reliance on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.