The non-renewability, environmental issues and health dangers connected with the nonrenewable fuel sources has led to exploration of alternative sources of energy to substitute the traditional ones. An appealing innovation, 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 motors. 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 however can be combined with petroleum diesel for use or could be utilized in its pure form.
Developed nations specifically United States and European Countries have currently made substantial advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have discovered its use throughout industries and verticals and might emerge as an ideal cleaner and cheaper alternative to fuel, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has also begun exploring the opportunities to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A variety of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already working in the nation where vegetable oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol typically) to produce bio-diesel.
The primary factor for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are sustainable and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net effect on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines much like 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 saved much like the petroleum based fuels.
Considering the growing energy demand in the country, increasing petroleum costs and the ecological hazards of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has actually used up efforts to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing units. The Government announced its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which aims to satisfy 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 but 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 curcas as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in huge amounts in wastelands all across India requiring extremely little water in contrast to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial life expectancy of numerous years. The jatropha curcas seeds include 40% oil and are considered to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has recognized 400,000 square kilometres of land ideal for the jatropha curcas growing in the country. India now
A study estimates that even if a mixing initiative of 2% jatropha curcas based Biodiesel is accomplished in 2011-12, India will conserve around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will produce around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and assistance 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 in India supplying totally 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 opportunities for extracting biodiesel from veggie oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil must likewise be checked out. It will not just supply an answer to the difficulty of Global Warming but might reduce our reliance on foreign oil and add to our own economy.
