Biodiesel

Bio-diesel is an eco-friendly, alternative diesel fuel prepared from domestic renewable resources i.e. vegetable oils (edible or non- edible oil) and animal fats. These natural oils and fats are made up mainly of triglycerides. These triglycerides when rea w striking similarity to petroleum derived diesel and are called "Bio-diesel". As India is deficient in edible oils, non-edible oil may be material of choice for producing bio diesel . For this purpose Jatropha curcas considered as most potential source for it. Bio diesel is produced by transesterification of oil obtains from the plant.

Jatropha Curcas has been identified for India as the most suitable Tree Borne Oilseed (TBO) for production of bio-diesel both in view of the non-edible oil available from it and its presence throughout the country. The capacity of Jatropha Curcas to rehabilitate degraded or dry lands, from which the poor mostly derive their sustenance, by improving land's water retention capacity, makes it additionally suitable for up-gradation of land resources. Presently, in some Indian villages, farmers are extracting oil from Jatropha and after settling and decanting it they are mixing the filtered oil with diesel fuel. Although, so far the farmers have not observed any damage to their machinery, yet this remains to be tested and PCRA is working on it. The fact remains that this oil needs to be converted to bio-diesel through a chemical reaction - trans-esterification. This reaction is relatively simple and does not require any exotic material. IOC (R&D) has been using a laboratory scale plant of 100 kg/day capacity for trans-esterification; designing of larger capacity plants is in the offing. These large plants are useful for centralized production of bio-diesel. Production of bio-diesel in smaller plants of capacity e.g. 5 to 20 kg/day may also be started at decentralized level in villages.

1.Technical Feasibility

Can be blended in any ratio with petro-diesel

Existing storage facilities and infrastructure for petro-diesel can be used with minor alteration.

From environment and emissions point of view it is superior to petro-diesel.

It can provide energy security to remote and rural areas.

It has good potential for employment generation

2.Sources of Bio-diesel

All Tree Bearing Oil (TBO) seeds - edible and non edible

Edible: Soya-bean, Sun-flower, Mustard Oil etc.

Non-edible: Jatropha Curcas, Pongemia Pinnata, Neem etc.

Edible seeds can't be used for bio-diesel production in our country, as its indigenous production does not meet our current demand.

Among non-edible TBO, Jatropha Curcas has been identified as the most suitable seed for India.

3.Advantages of Jatropha

Jatropha Curcas is a widely occurring variety of TBO

It grows practically all over India under a variety of agro climatic conditions.

Can be grown in arid zones (20 cm rainfall) as well as in higher rainfall zones and even on the land with thin soil cover.

Its plantation can be taken up as a quick yielding plant even in adverse land situations viz. degraded and barren lands under forest and non-forest use, dry and drought prone areas, marginal lands, even on alkaline soils and as agro-forestry crops.

It grows as a tree up to the height of 3 - 5 mt.

It is a good plantation for Eco-restoration in all types wasteland.

4.Agro Practices (as per NOVOD, Ministry of Agriculture, GOI)

Nursery raising

Nurseries may be raised in poly-bags filled with mixture of soil and farm yard manure in the ratio of 4:1.

Two seeds are sown in each bag.

Plantation

30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm pits are dug

Farm yard manure (2-3 kg), 20 gm urea, 12 gm Single Super Phosphate (SSP) & 16 gm Mono Phosphate (MP)

Planting density

2500 plants / ha at 2m x 2m

Transplantation

It should be done during rainy reason.

Fertilizer

From second year in the ratio of 40:60:20 Nitrogen Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK) kg/ha

Irrigation

It is required only for the first two years

Pruning

During first year when branches reach a height of 40-60 cms

Pest & Disease control

No disease or insects noticed to be harmful

Flowering and fruiting

Flowering: Sept.- Dec. & March- April

Fruiting

After 2 months of flowering.

5.State-wise area undertaken by NOVOD for Jatropha Plantation

State Area (ha) Andhra Pradesh 44 Bihar 10 Chhatisgarh 190 Gujarat 240 Haryana 140 Karnataka 80 Madhya Pradesh 260 Maharashtra 150 Mizoram 20 Rajasthan 275 Tamil Nadu 60 Uttaranchal 50 Uttar Pradesh 200

Economics (as per Planning Commission Report on Bio-fuels, 2003)

Activities Rate(Rs. / Kg) Quantity(Kg) Cost(Rs.) Seed 5.00 3.28 16.40 Cost of collection & oil extraction 2.36 1.05 2.48 Less cake produced 1.00 2.23 (-) 2.23 Trans-esterification 6.67 1.00 6.67 Less cost of glycerin produced 40 to 60 0.095 (-) 3.8 to 5.7 Cost of Bio-diesel per kg 19.52 to 17.62 Cost of Bio-diesel per litre (Sp. Gravity 0.85) 16.59 to 14.98

7. Employment potential (as per Planning Commission report on bio-fuels, 2003))

Likely demand of petro diesel by 2006-07 will be 52 MMT and by 2011-12 it will increase to 67 MMT.

5% blend of Bio-diesel with petro diesel will require 2.6 MMT of Bio-diesel in 2006-07

By 2011-12, for 20% blend with Petro-diesel, the likely demand will be 13.4 MMT.

To meet the requirement of 2.6 MMT of bio-diesel, plantation of Jatropha should be done on 2.2 - 2.6 million ha area.

11.2 - 13.4 million ha of land should be covered by 2011 - 12 for 20% bio-diesel blending

It will generate following no. of jobs in following areas.

Year No. of jobs in plantation In maintenance Operation of BD units 2006-07 2.5 million 0.75 million 0.10 million 2011-12 13.0 million 3.9 million 0.30 million

Oil content

35% to 40%

Collection and processing

Ripe fruits collected from trees.

8. Efforts of National Oilseed and Vegetable Oil Development Board (NOVOD)

Systematic state/region wise survey for identification of superior trees and superior seeds.

Maintenance of record on seeds/trees.

Samples of high yield to be sent to National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) for accession and cryo-preservation.

NOVOD has developed improved Jatropha seeds, which have oil contents up to 1.5 times of ordinary seeds.

However, being in short supply, initially these improved Jatropha seeds would be supplied only to Agricultural Universities for multiplication and development.

After multiplication these would be supplied to different states for further cultivation. This program is likely to take 3 - 4 years.

It is also working for development of multi-purpose post-harvest technology tools like decorticator and de-huller, which would further improve oil recovery.

9. Trans-esterification Process

Vegetable Oil Alcohol Catalyst(Sodium or Potassiu m Hydroxide) Glycerin(Used for medicinal value) Bio-diesel 100 gm 12 gm 1 gm 11 gm 95 gm

It is the displacement of alcohol from an ester by another alcohol in a similar process to hydrolysis.

Vegetable Oil i.e. the triglyceride can be easily trans-esterified in the presence of alkaline catalyst at atmospheric pressure and at temperature of approximately 60 to 70oC with an excess of methanol.

If 100 gm of vegetable oil is taken, 1 gm of the alkaline catalyst (Potassium Hydroxide), and 12 gm of Methanol would be required

As a first step, the alkaline catalyst is mixed with methanol and the mixture is stirred for half an hour for its homogenization.

This mixture is mixed with vegetable oil and the resultant mixture is made to pass through reflux condensation at 65oC.

The mixture at the end is allowed to settle.

The lower layer will be of glycerin and it is drain off.

The upper layer of bio-diesel (a methyl ester) is washed to remove entrained glycerin.

The excess methanol recycled by distillation.

This reaction works well with high quality oil. If the oil contains 1% Free Fatty Acid (FFA), then difficulty arises because of soap formation. If FFA content is more than 2% the reaction becomes unworkable.

Methanol is inflammable and Potassium Hydroxide is caustic, hence proper and safe handling of these chemicals are must.

10. Agencies & Institutes working in the field of bio-diesel

National Oil seeds and Vegetable Oil Board, Gurgaon

PCRA - Petroleum Conservation Research Association (MOP&NG)

IOC (R&D) Centre, Faridabad

Delhi College of Engineering

IIT, Delhi

IIP, Dehradun

Downstream National Oil Companies

Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad

CSIR

Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources

Central Pollution Control Board

Bureau of Indian Standards

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency

States, which have made some lead

Uttranchal:

Uttaranchal Bio-fuel Board (UBB) has been constituted as a nodal agency for bio-diesel promotion in the state.

Has undertaken Jatropha plantation in an area of 1 lakh hectare.

UBB has established Jatropha Gene Bank to preserve high yielding seed varieties.

Has ambitious plan to produce 100 million liters of bio-diesel.

Andhra Pradesh:

Govt. of AP (GoAP) to encourage Jatropha plantation in 10 rain shadow districts of AP

Task force for it has been constituted at district and state level

GoAP proposed Jatropha cultivation in 15 lakh acres in next 4 years

Initial target is 2 lakh acres

Irrigation to be dovetailed with Jatropha cultivation

90% drip subsidy is proposed

Jatropha cultivation to be taken up only in cultivable lands with existing farmers.

Crop and yield insurance is proposed

Chhattisgarh:

6 lakh saplings of Jatropha have been planted with the involvement of State's Forest, Agriculture, Panchayat and Rural Development Departments

As per the Deputy Chairman, State Planning Board, the state has the target to cover 1 million ha of land under Jatropha plantation

Ten reputed bio-diesel companies, including the UK-based D1 Oils, have offered to set up Jatropha oil-extraction units or to buy the produce from farmers in Chhattisgarh.

Companies like Indian Oil, Indian Railways and Hindustan Petroleum have each deposited Rs 10 lakh as security for future MoUs with the state government.

11. Farmers' Initiatives in Haryana

Farmers in Haryana have formed NGOs and cooperatives for promotion of Jatropha plantation.

These NGOs and cooperatives are raising nurseries for Jatropha plantation and supplying saplings to others for further cultivation.

They have been blending directly Jatropha Oil into diesel fuel and successfully using this blend in their tractors and diesel engines without any problems.

These NGOs and cooperatives are also organizing the practical demonstration of this usage in their demonstration workshops.

They are organizing local seminars, workshops and conferences etc. to promote the usage of Jatropha oil.

NGOs have also printed some booklets on Jatropha plantation.

12. Current usages of bio-diesel / Trials & testing of bio-diesel

Usages of bio-diesel are similar to that of petro-diesel

Shatabadi Express was run on 5% blend of bio-diesel from Delhi to Amritsar on 31st Dec. 2002 in association with IOC.

Field trials of 10% bio-diesel blend were also done on Lucknow-Allahabad Jan Shatabdi Express also through association with IOC.

HPCL is also carrying out field trials in association with BEST

Bio-Diesel blend from IOC (R&D) is being used in buses in Mumbai as well as in Rewari, in Haryana on trial basis .

CSIR and Daimler Chrysler have jointly undertaken a successful 5000 km trial run of Mercedes cars using bio-diesel as fuel.

NOVOD has initiated test run by blending 10% bio diesel in collaboration with IIT, Delhi in Tata Sumo & Swaraj Mazda vehicles.

For Knowing PCRA's Efforts click on the link PCRA Efforts