BIODIESEL - The Alternate Fuel For Future

During the twentieth century , energy consumption increased dramatically . Now an unbalanced energy management exists . To achieve the balance , we are now considering the use of alternate fuel source . We know that we have very limited storage of conventional energy resources . Most of them , due to our growing practice , will become extinct very shortly . Among various conventional energy sources , petroleum products are more valuable in recent years . To make our life fast , we are using high speed vehicles .These are consuming more and more quantities of fuel . To make sustainable use of it , we have to bother about it . Now we are using biodiesel to some extent .

            What is Biodiesel ?

Biodiesel is a vegetable oil-based fuel that runs in diesel engines like cars,buses,trucks,construction equipment , generators etc .It is usually made from soy or carola oil , and can also be made from recycled fryer oil .It is a domestic , renewable fuel for diesel engines and which meets the specification of ASTMD 6751 [ American Society of Testing and Materials ]. It is basically a fuel , comprised of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids , derived from vegetable oils or animal fats . It can be used in any concentration with petroleum based diesel fuel in existing diesel engine with little or no modification . It is not the same thing as raw vegetable oil ; produced by a chemical process which removes the glycerin from the oil . The blend of biodiesel , meeting ASTMD 6751 with petroleum based diesel fuel , designated as BXX, where XX represents the volume percentage of bio diesel fuel in the blend (i.e., B20 is 20% biodiesel , 80% petroleum diesel).

What are the benefits of using biodiesel ?

1. It is sustainable and nontoxic . Biodiesel is 100% renewable . We will never run out of it , if it gets into our water supply , there is no problem - it's veggie oil ! You can drink it , if you so desire but it tastes nasty .
2. Since it is made domestically , it reduces our dependance on foreign oil .
3. Using biodiesel , keeps our fuel buying dollars at home instead of sending it to foreign countries . This reduces our trade deficit .
4. It is nearly Carbon-neutral , meaning it contributes almost zero emissions to global warming .
5. Studies have shows that it reduces engine wear by as much as one half , primarily because it provides excellent lubricity .
6. Biodiesel engines produce less smoke .

How is biodiesel made ? 

It is made through a chemical process , called , 'Trans-esterification' , where by the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil . The process leaves behind two products - methyl esters (the chemical name for biodiesel) and glycerin ( a valuable product , used in soaps and other items). In descriptive way ; chemically , trans-esterification means taking a triglyceride molecule , or a complex fatty acid , neutralizing the free fatty acids , removing the glycerin , creating an alcohol ester . This is accomplished by mixing methanol with sodium hydroxide to make sodium methoxide . This liquid is then mixed into the vegetable oil . After the mixer has settled , glycerin is left on the bottom and methyl esters is left on the top , and is washed and filtered .

India's step for making biodiesel

In India , biodiesel fuel can be produced mainly from Jatropha curcas . It is a drought resistant perennial , growing well in marginal or poor soil . It is easy to establish , grows relatively quickly , producing seeds with an oil content of 37% . This oil can be combusted as fuel without being refined . The byproducts are press cake , a good organic fertilizer. There is no typical ecological requirements . It grows almost every where , even or gravelly , sandy ,saline soils . Regarding climate , it is found in the tropics , and subtropics , in lower temperature , even in a light frost .

Presently the indigenously designed biodiesel plant for 250L/day is in operation . We have to design and develop bio-fuel plants of 3-10 tonnes per day capacity for installation in different parts of the country . The cost of it's production dependent on the choice of feedstock and the size of the production facility . So it is managable .

       As India is deficient in edible oils , non-edible oil is the main choice for producing biodiesel . According to Indian Government policy , some development works have been carried out with regards to the production of  transesterified non-edible oil and its' use in biodiesel by units such as , Indian Institute of Science(Bangalore) , Tamilnadu Agriculture University(Coimbatore) . Generally , a blend of 5%-20% is used in India . Indian Oil Corporation has taken up research and development work to establish the parameters of the production of Transesterified Jatropha vegetable oil and use of biodiesel in its R & D Center , Faridabad.

Why biodiesel is so important ?

As a substitute for fast depleting fossil fuel , biodiesel had come to stay . The railway and Indian Oil Corporation has successfully used 10% blended biodiesel in train , running between Amritsar and New Delhi in February 2003 . So , in future it should also serve to reduce and maintain the price of automobile fuel . Wide use of biodiesel is going to be a reality in the days to come . So , to stop emission problem , to stop environmental degradation , to contribute to our national economy and most of all for sustainable development ; we must think about it , to achieve the pinnacle position in the world .