The non-renewability, environmental issues and health risks connected with the nonrenewable fuel sources has led to exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the standard ones. A promising technology, still in its infancy, that could reveal us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels obtained from grease or animal-fat that could be utilized to run diesel motors. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, Jatropha etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It includes no petroleum however can be mixed with petroleum diesel for use or could be used in its pure type.
Developed countries especially United States and European Countries have already made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually discovered its usage throughout industries and verticals and might emerge as a perfect cleaner and cheaper option to fuel, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has also started exploring the chances to produce and use bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already working in the nation where vegetable oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.
The main reason for the increasing need for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are sustainable and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net impact on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines similar to regular petroleum diesel and for this reason can be utilized with little or no engine modifications. Biodiesel do not require any different infrastructure for its storage and can be kept simply like the petroleum based fuels.
Considering the growing energy need in the country, rising petroleum costs and the environmental hazards of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has actually taken up initiatives to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established more oil processing units. The Government revealed 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 basic materials for oil processing and biodiesel production but in India the optimal 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 utilizing Jatropha as a raw product is that this plant can be grown in substantial amounts in wastelands all across India requiring really little water in contrast to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial lifespan of a number of decades. The Jatropha seeds contain 40% oil and are thought about to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually recognized 400,000 square kilometres of land suitable for the jatropha curcas growing in the nation. India now
A research study approximates that even if a blending initiative 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 steps to encourage the growing of jatropha curcas in India providing free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now strengthen its efforts to make the maximum usage of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides jatropha curcas, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to likewise be explored. It will not just provide an answer to the difficulty of Global Warming but might reduce our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.
