Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, ecological issues and health dangers connected with the nonrenewable fuel sources has led to exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the traditional ones. An appealing technology, still in its infancy, that could reveal us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels derived from vegetable oil or animal-fat that might 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 however can be combined with petroleum diesel for use or might be utilized in its pure type.

Developed nations particularly United States and European Countries have already made substantial advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually discovered its use throughout industries and verticals and could become an ideal cleaner and more affordable alternative to petrol, diesel and fossil fuels. India has likewise started checking out the chances to produce and use bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already functioning in the nation where veggie oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.

The main factor for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are sustainable and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net effect on the climate. 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 infrastructure for its storage and can be kept much like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the country, rising petroleum costs and the environmental risks of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has actually used up efforts to develop 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 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 used 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 benefit of utilizing Jatropha as a raw product is that this plant can be grown in big quantities in wastelands all throughout India needing extremely little water in contrast to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial life expectancy of a number of years. The Jatropha seeds consist of 40% oil and are considered to be an exceptional source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually determined 400,000 square kilometres of land ideal for the Jatropha cultivation in the country. India now

A study approximates that even if a blending effort of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is 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 reduction of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The federal government is taking actions to motivate the growing of Jatropha in India offering free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now enhance its efforts to make the maximum usage of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from veggie oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to also be explored. It will not just offer an answer to the obstacle of Global Warming however could reduce our reliance on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.