The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health hazards connected with the fossil fuels has actually led to exploration of alternative sources of energy to substitute the traditional ones. An appealing technology, still in its infancy, that might show us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels originated from grease or animal-fat that could be used 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 mixed with petroleum diesel for use or might be used in its pure type.

Developed nations specifically United States and European Countries have already made considerable advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually discovered its usage across industries and verticals and could become a perfect cleaner and more affordable alternative to fuel, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has actually likewise begun checking out the opportunities to produce and utilize bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently operating in the nation where veggie oils are reacted with (ethanol or methanol normally) to produce bio-diesel.

The main factor for the increasing need for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, hence having no net impact on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines similar to normal petroleum diesel and hence can be utilized with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not require any different infrastructure for its storage and can be saved similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the nation, rising petroleum costs and the ecological hazards of nonrenewable fuel sources, the Indian Government has actually taken up initiatives to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established more oil processing units. The Government revealed its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which aims to satisfy 20% of India's diesel demand with bio-fuels in the coming years.

Globally, edible vegetable oils like sunflower, soya bean, rape seed, palm oil are utilized as the pre-dominant basic materials 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 biggest advantage of using Jatropha as a raw product is that this plant can be grown in big amounts in wastelands all across India needing very little water in comparison to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful life-span of a number of decades. The jatropha curcas seeds contain 40% oil and are considered to be an exceptional source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has actually determined 400,000 square kilometres of land appropriate for the Jatropha cultivation in the country. India now

A study approximates that even if a blending 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 federal government is taking steps to motivate the cultivation of jatropha curcas in India supplying free seeds, subsidized loans and other centers. India needs to now enhance its efforts to make the maximum use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides jatropha curcas, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil should likewise be explored. It will not just offer an answer to the difficulty of Global Warming but might reduce our reliance on foreign oil and add to our own economy.