Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India

The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health hazards associated with the sources has actually led to expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the standard ones. A promising technology, still in its infancy, that might reveal us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels obtained from grease or animal-fat that could be utilized to run diesel engines. 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 but can be combined with petroleum diesel for usage or could be used in its pure type.

Developed countries particularly United States and European Countries have currently made substantial advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have found its usage throughout markets and verticals and might become a perfect cleaner and cheaper alternative to fuel, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has actually also begun exploring the chances to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already operating in the nation where veggie oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol typically) to produce bio-diesel.

The main reason for the increasing need for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net influence on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines much like typical petroleum diesel and thus can be utilized with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not need any different facilities for its storage and can be saved similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the nation, rising 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 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 veggie oils like sunflower, soya bean, rape seed, palm oil are used as the pre-dominant raw products for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the optimal potential to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil – a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The greatest benefit of using Jatropha as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in huge quantities in wastelands all across India needing very little water in contrast to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful life expectancy of a number of decades. The Jatropha seeds consist of 40% oil and are thought about to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually determined 400,000 square kilometres of land ideal for the Jatropha cultivation in the nation. India now

A research study estimates that even if a mixing effort of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is achieved in 2011-12, India will save around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will generate 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 government is taking actions to encourage the cultivation of Jatropha in India providing totally free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India requires to now enhance its efforts to make the max use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil must also be checked out. It will not only provide an answer to the obstacle of Global Warming but could decrease our reliance on foreign oil and add to our own economy.