The non-renewability, ecological issues and health threats connected with the fossil fuels has caused exploration of alternative sources of energy to substitute the standard ones. A promising technology, still in its infancy, that might show us the method to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels originated from or animal-fat that could be utilized to run diesel engines. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, Jatropha etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It contains no petroleum but can be mixed with petroleum diesel for usage or could be used in its pure kind.

Developed countries specifically United States and European Countries have actually currently made considerable advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its use throughout industries and verticals and might emerge as an ideal cleaner and cheaper option to fuel, diesel and nonrenewable fuel sources. India has actually also begun checking out the chances to produce and use bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are already operating in the nation where vegetable oils are reacted with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.

The primary reason for the increasing need for biodiesels is the fact that biodiesels are renewable and carbon-neutral, hence having no net effect on the climate. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines simply like normal petroleum diesel and thus can be utilized with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not require any separate facilities for its storage and can be saved just like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the nation, increasing petroleum costs and the ecological risks of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has actually used up initiatives to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and established more oil processing units. The Government announced its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which aims to fulfill 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 used as the pre-dominant raw materials for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the maximum potential to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil - a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The most significant advantage of utilizing Jatropha as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in big quantities in wastelands all across India requiring extremely little water in contrast to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a helpful life-span of several decades. The jatropha curcas seeds consist of 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 appropriate for the jatropha curcas growing in the country. India now

A study approximates that even if a blending effort of 2% jatropha curcas based Biodiesel is accomplished in 2011-12, India will conserve around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will generate around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and assistance in reduction of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The government is taking steps to motivate the growing of jatropha curcas in India offering totally free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India needs to now reinforce its efforts to make the fullest usage of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the avenues for drawing out biodiesel from veggie oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to also be checked out. It will not just offer an answer to the difficulty of Global Warming however might reduce our dependence on foreign oil and add to our own economy.