1 Biodiesel Technology Need of the Hour for India
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The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health dangers related to the has led to exploration of alternative sources of energy to substitute the conventional ones. An appealing technology, still in its infancy, that might reveal us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels originated from grease or animal-fat that might be used to run diesel engines. 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 mixed with petroleum diesel for use or might be utilized in its pure type.

Developed countries particularly United States and European Countries have already made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have discovered its usage throughout markets and verticals and might become a perfect cleaner and more affordable option to gas, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also begun checking out the opportunities to produce and utilize 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 normally) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary reason for the increasing need for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are renewable and carbon-neutral, hence having no net influence on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines much like typical 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 kept similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the nation, rising petroleum costs and the environmental threats of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has used up efforts to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing systems. The Government announced 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 products for oil processing and biodiesel production but in India the optimal capacity to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil - a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The greatest advantage of utilizing Jatropha as a raw material is that this plant can be grown in big quantities in wastelands all across India needing really little water in contrast to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful lifespan of several decades. The Jatropha seeds contain 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 growing in the nation. India now

A study estimates that even if a mixing effort of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is accomplished in 2011-12, India will save around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will create around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and help in reduction of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The federal government is taking steps to motivate the cultivation of Jatropha in India providing free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India requires to now strengthen its efforts to make the max use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues for drawing out biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil must also be explored. It will not just supply an answer to the challenge of Global Warming however could reduce our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.