The non-renewability, ecological concerns and health dangers related to the fossil fuels has resulted in exploration of alternative sources of energy to replace the conventional ones. A promising innovation, still in its infancy, that could show us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels originated from veggie oil or animal-fat that might 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 includes no petroleum but can be blended with petroleum diesel for use or could be utilized in its pure kind.

Developed nations especially United States and European Countries have already made significant advances in the Biodiesel Technology. Biodiesel have actually found its use throughout markets and verticals and could emerge as a perfect cleaner and more affordable option to gas, 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 already working in the country where veggie oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol generally) to produce bio-diesel.

The main reason for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the reality that biodiesels are sustainable and carbon-neutral, therefore having no net influence on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel runs in compression engines similar to regular petroleum diesel and hence can be utilized with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not require any separate infrastructure for its storage and can be kept much like the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy need in the country, rising petroleum prices and the ecological hazards of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has used up initiatives to develop the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing units. The Government announced its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which intends to satisfy 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 used as the pre-dominant raw materials 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 most significant benefit of using jatropha curcas as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in big quantities in wastelands all across India needing extremely little water in comparison to other cash crops. Once grown, the plant has a useful lifespan of numerous decades. The Jatropha 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 suitable for the jatropha curcas in the nation. India now

A research study approximates that even if a blending initiative of 2% jatropha curcas based Biodiesel is attained in 2011-12, India will conserve around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will generate 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 complimentary seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India needs to now reinforce its efforts to make the maximum use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides Jatropha, the opportunities for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil should likewise be explored. It will not only provide an answer to the obstacle of Global Warming however might reduce our dependence on foreign oil and contribute to our own economy.