The non-renewability, ecological issues and health hazards associated with the nonrenewable fuel sources has caused exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the standard ones. An appealing technology, still in its infancy, that could reveal us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels stemmed from grease or animal-fat that might be utilized 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 however can be blended with petroleum diesel for use or could be utilized in its pure kind.
Developed nations especially United States and European Countries have already made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually discovered its use throughout industries and verticals and might emerge as a perfect cleaner and less expensive option to gas, diesel and fossil fuels. India has likewise begun checking out the chances to produce and use bio-diesel. A variety 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 demand for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are renewable and carbon-neutral, thus having no net effect on the climate. 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 need any different facilities for its storage and can be saved similar to the petroleum based fuels.
Considering the growing energy demand in the nation, increasing petroleum rates and the ecological hazards of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has actually taken up efforts to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established more oil processing units. The Government announced its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which intends to satisfy 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 raw products for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the maximum capacity 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 curcas as a raw product is that this plant can be grown in substantial amounts in wastelands all across India requiring very little water in contrast to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial life expectancy of several decades. The Jatropha seeds include 40% oil and are considered to be an outstanding source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually recognized 400,000 square kilometres of land ideal for the Jatropha growing in the country. India now
A study estimates that even if a mixing effort of 2% jatropha curcas based Biodiesel is achieved 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 decrease of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The government is taking steps to motivate the cultivation of Jatropha in India offering free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India needs to now enhance its efforts to make the maximum usage 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 explored. It will not just offer an answer to the obstacle of Global Warming however might reduce our reliance on foreign oil and add to our own economy.
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Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour For India
Maryann Severson edited this page 2025-01-18 01:14:20 +08:00