The non-renewability, ecological issues and health risks associated with the nonrenewable fuel sources has actually led to exploration of alternative sources of energy to substitute the standard ones. An appealing innovation, still in its infancy, that could reveal us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels obtained from vegetable oil or animal-fat that could be used to run diesel motors. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, Jatropha and so on can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It includes no petroleum but can be combined with petroleum diesel for usage or might be utilized in its pure type.
Developed countries specifically United States and have actually currently made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have found its use throughout markets and verticals and might become a perfect cleaner and cheaper alternative to fuel, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has also begun checking out the opportunities to produce and use bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already functioning in the nation where veggie oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.
The main reason for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, hence having no net effect on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines much like normal petroleum diesel and for this reason can be utilized with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not require any different infrastructure for its storage and can be stored just like the petroleum based fuels.
Considering the growing energy demand in the country, rising petroleum rates and the ecological hazards of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has taken up initiatives to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing units. The Government revealed its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which aims to fulfill 20% of India's diesel need 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 raw materials for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the maximum 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 raw material is that this plant can be grown in big amounts in wastelands all across India needing extremely little water in contrast to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful life-span of a number of years. The Jatropha seeds include 40% oil and are considered to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the jatropha curcas cultivation in the nation. India now
A study approximates that even if a blending effort of 2% jatropha curcas based Biodiesel is attained in 2011-12, India will conserve around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will create around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and aid in decrease of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The government is taking actions to motivate the growing of jatropha curcas in India offering free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now enhance its efforts to make the maximum use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides jatropha curcas, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from veggie oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil must also be checked out. It will not just offer a response to the challenge of Global Warming however 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
Angela Le Grand edited this page 2025-01-18 01:12:50 +00:00