Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, ecological issues and health risks with the fossil fuels has resulted in exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the standard ones. A promising innovation, still in its infancy, that could reveal us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels stemmed from veggie oil or animal-fat that might be utilized 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 might be utilized in its pure kind.

Developed nations especially United States and European Countries have already made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have found its usage across industries and verticals and could become a perfect cleaner and less expensive alternative to fuel, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has likewise begun checking out the opportunities to produce and use bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already functioning in the nation where veggie oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary factor for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are renewable and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net influence on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines just like normal petroleum diesel and thus can be utilized with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not require any different facilities for its storage and can be saved similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the nation, increasing petroleum prices and the environmental hazards of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has taken up initiatives to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established more oil processing units. The Government revealed 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 veggie oils like sunflower, soya bean, rape seed, palm oil are utilized as the pre-dominant basic materials for oil processing and biodiesel production however 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 greatest advantage of utilizing Jatropha as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in substantial amounts in wastelands all throughout India needing very little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial lifespan of numerous years. The Jatropha seeds include 40% oil and are thought about to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has recognized 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the Jatropha cultivation in the nation. India now

A research study approximates that even if a blending 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 assistance in reduction of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The government is taking actions to encourage the growing of Jatropha in India offering complimentary seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India requires to now reinforce its efforts to make the max use 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 just provide an answer to the obstacle of Global Warming but could reduce our reliance on foreign oil and add to our own economy.