The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health hazards related to the fossil fuels has led to expedition of alternative sources of energy to substitute the conventional ones. A promising technology, still in its infancy, that might show us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels obtained from grease or animal-fat that could be used to run diesel engines. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, jatropha curcas etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It includes no petroleum but can be blended with petroleum diesel for use or might be utilized in its pure form.
Developed countries especially United States and European Countries have currently made substantial advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have found its usage across markets and verticals and might emerge as a perfect cleaner and cheaper alternative to petrol, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also started exploring the opportunities to produce and use bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently in the country where veggie oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) 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 effect on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines simply like normal petroleum diesel and thus can be used with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not require any separate infrastructure for its storage and can be stored much like the petroleum based fuels.
Considering the growing energy demand in the nation, increasing petroleum rates and the environmental hazards of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has used up initiatives to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing systems. The Government revealed its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which intends to meet 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 used as the pre-dominant basic materials for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the maximum potential to produce biodiesels is from jatropha curcas oil - a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The most significant advantage of using Jatropha as a raw product is that this plant can be grown in big quantities in wastelands all throughout India needing very little water in comparison to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful life-span of numerous years. The jatropha curcas seeds include 40% oil and are considered to be an outstanding source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the jatropha curcas growing in the country. India now
A research study estimates that even if a blending effort of 2% jatropha curcas based Biodiesel is attained in 2011-12, India will save around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will produce 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 encourage the growing of Jatropha in India supplying free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India needs to now strengthen its efforts to make the maximum use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides jatropha curcas, the avenues for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil ought to likewise be checked out. It will not just supply an answer to the obstacle of Global Warming but might decrease our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.
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Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour For India
Derick Fadden edited this page 2025-01-11 15:42:51 +00:00