The non-renewability, environmental issues and health threats associated with the fossil fuels has actually resulted in exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the standard ones. A promising technology, still in its infancy, that might reveal us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels derived from grease or animal-fat that could be utilized 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 includes no petroleum however can be combined with petroleum diesel for usage or could be used in its pure form.
Developed countries particularly United States and European Countries have currently made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have discovered its use throughout markets and verticals and could become a perfect cleaner and more affordable alternative to gas, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has also begun checking out the opportunities to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already operating in the country where vegetable oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.
The main reason for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are renewable and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net impact on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines similar to regular petroleum diesel and hence can be used with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not require any different infrastructure for its storage and can be stored similar to the petroleum based fuels.
Considering the growing energy demand in the country, rising petroleum prices and the environmental hazards of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has taken up efforts to develop 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 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 used as the pre-dominant basic materials for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the optimal capacity to produce biodiesels is from jatropha curcas oil - a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the . The greatest benefit of using jatropha curcas as a raw product is that this plant can be grown in huge amounts in wastelands all throughout India requiring extremely little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful life expectancy 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 actually 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 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 assistance 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 curcas in India offering free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India requires to now reinforce 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 should also be checked out. It will not only provide a response to the challenge of Global Warming but could reduce our reliance on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.
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Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour For India
angievalle782 edited this page 2025-01-12 10:27:50 +08:00