Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, ecological issues and health dangers related to the fossil fuels has caused expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the traditional ones. A promising innovation, still in its infancy, that could show us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels originated from vegetable oil 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 consists of no petroleum but can be blended with petroleum diesel for use or could be used in its pure type.

Developed nations particularly United States and European Countries have actually already made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its use across industries and verticals and could become an ideal cleaner and less expensive option to petrol, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also begun exploring the opportunities to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already operating in the country where veggie oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.

The main factor for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the truth that biodiesels are sustainable and carbon-neutral, hence having no net effect on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines similar to regular petroleum diesel and hence can be utilized with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not require any separate infrastructure for its storage and can be saved similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the country, rising petroleum costs and the of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has used up efforts to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing systems. The Government announced its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which aims to satisfy 20% of India's diesel demand 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 maximum capacity to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil - a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The biggest advantage of utilizing Jatropha as a raw product is that this plant can be grown in substantial amounts in wastelands all across India needing really little water in contrast to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful life expectancy of several years. The Jatropha seeds contain 40% oil and are thought about to be an exceptional source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually identified 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the Jatropha growing in the nation. India now

A research study approximates that even if a blending initiative of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is accomplished in 2011-12, India will save 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 steps to motivate the growing of Jatropha in India providing complimentary seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India requires to now strengthen its efforts to make the maximum use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues for extracting biodiesel from veggie oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil must likewise be checked out. It will not only supply a response to the difficulty of Global Warming however might decrease our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.