Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, ecological issues and health dangers associated with the fossil fuels has caused exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the conventional ones. An appealing innovation, still in its infancy, that might reveal us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels obtained from vegetable oil or animal-fat that could be used to run diesel engines. oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, Jatropha etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It includes no petroleum but can be combined with petroleum diesel for use or might be utilized in its pure type.

Developed countries specifically United States and European Countries have actually currently made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have discovered its use throughout industries and verticals and might emerge as a perfect cleaner and more affordable option to gas, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has likewise started checking out the opportunities to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently working in the country where vegetable oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol normally) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary factor for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, thus having no net effect on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines similar to regular petroleum diesel and hence can be utilized with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not require any different infrastructure for its storage and can be saved just like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the nation, increasing petroleum costs and the ecological threats of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has 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 fulfill 20% of India’s diesel demand with bio-fuels 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 however in India the maximum potential 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 material is that this plant can be grown in huge amounts in wastelands all throughout India requiring really little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful lifespan of numerous decades. The Jatropha seeds include 40% oil and are considered to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually recognized 400,000 square kilometres of land ideal for the Jatropha cultivation in the nation. India now

A research study estimates that even if a blending effort of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is achieved in 2011-12, India will save around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will produce around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and help in reduction of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The federal government is taking steps to encourage the growing of Jatropha in India providing totally free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India requires to now reinforce its efforts to make the fullest usage of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil must likewise be checked out. It will not only offer a response to the difficulty of Global Warming however could decrease our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.