The non-renewability, environmental issues and health threats connected with the fossil fuels has actually caused exploration 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 stemmed 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 curcas etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It contains no petroleum but can be mixed with petroleum diesel for usage or could be used in its pure form.
Developed nations specifically United States and European Countries have actually currently made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its usage across industries and verticals and could emerge as a perfect cleaner and cheaper alternative to gas, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also begun exploring the chances to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already working in the country where veggie oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol typically) to produce bio-diesel.
The primary reason for the increasing need for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are sustainable and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net effect on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines similar to normal petroleum diesel and for this reason can be used with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not need any different facilities for its storage and can be kept similar to the petroleum based fuels.
Considering the growing energy need in the nation, rising petroleum rates and the environmental dangers of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has taken up efforts to establish 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 intends to meet 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 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 greatest advantage of utilizing jatropha curcas as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in substantial quantities in wastelands all across India requiring extremely little water in comparison to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful lifespan of a number of years. The Jatropha seeds contain 40% oil and are considered to be an exceptional source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometres of land ideal for the jatropha curcas cultivation in the nation. India now
A study approximates that even if a mixing initiative of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is achieved in 2011-12, India will save around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will create around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and assistance in decrease of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The federal government is taking actions to motivate the cultivation of Jatropha in India providing totally free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India needs to now strengthen its efforts to make the fullest use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides jatropha curcas, the avenues for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to also be explored. It will not just provide an answer to the obstacle of Global Warming but could decrease our dependence on foreign oil and add to our own economy.
