Fuel Does Grow on Trees

Fuel Does Grow on Trees
Leena Mehendale and Ranjan Goswami

The burning of fossil fuels at the current rate is likely to create an environmental crisis. In India, bio-diesel, an alternative and renewable source of energy, is gaining momentum. Bio-diesel burns cleaner and is available from natural, renewable sources such as tree-borne oilseed and animal fats. Like petroleum diesel, bio-diesel operates in compression and ignition engines.

Blends of up to 20% bio-diesel (mixed with petroleum diesel) can be used in nearly all diesel and most storage and distribution equipment. These low-level blends (20% and less) generally do not require any engine modifications. Bio-diesel can provide the same payload capacity as diesel.

India consumes about nine million tones of petrol and 42 million tonnes of diesel, the crude import bill in the region of Rs. 1,10,000 crore. A blend of ethanol in petrol and bio-diesel in diesel will, therefore, make a big difference both in our import bill as well as in the environment impact. Bio-diesel has 10% built-in oxygen and properties that would help it burn efficiently, which would, in turn, lead to less use of fossil fuel. As a tree-based source, it would mitigate the greenhouse effects.

Jatropha curcas has been identified for India as the most suitable tree-borne oilseed for production of bio-diesel, in view of the non-edible oil available from it and its presence throughout the country. The capacity of jatropha curcas to rehabilitate degraded lands by improving the land’s water retention capacity renders it suitable for up gradation of land resources. This oil needs to be converted

to bio-diesel through a simple chemical process called trans-esterification. While large plants would be useful for centralized production, smaller plants can also be started at the village level.

Jatropha plantation on wasteland can rebuild our afforestation programme. One plant of Jatropha can offset 0.15 tonne of carbon dioxide per year. Assuming the presence of 200 plants in a hectare, a lakh hectares of wasteland planted with jatropha can fetch 27 million carbon credit points for the country.

The current annual petro-diesel consumption in the country is 40 million tones. For blending 5% bio-diesel in petro-diesel, India needs around two million tones of bio-diesel annually. By January 2006, India’s demand for petro-diesel will touch 52 million tones. For 5% blend bio-diesel, we will need 26 lakh tones of bio-diesel. The land area required for Jatropha plantation would be 2.5 million hectares. If we can further increase the use of bio-diesel to 20%, the figures projected for January 2011 are 67 million tones of petro-diesel, 134 lakh tones of bio-diesel and 13 million hectares of land.

We need to push bio-diesel in the market. The use of bio-diesel is hampered by ad hoc production and high cost that lowers demand. If we ensure steady flow of demand, it would build up sustained production and supply and bring down the cost. Farmers are not encouraged to grow Jatropha when the demand for bio-diesel is low. The vicious cycle of high price leading to low demand and non-establishment of a supply chain, which in turn results in high prices, can be broken by an assurance of steady purchase by the government, especially oil companies.

Initial incentives have been given to promote green fuels through various methods. It is proposed that a limited subsidy be given on a reducing scale for a limited period. This would help in establishing supply chains quickly.

The proposed model of subsidy envisages the purchase of bio-diesel at a landed price of Rs. 40 per litre for the first six months, then Rs. 35 for next six months and Rs. 30 for another six. There after, it may be purchased at a minimum support price of Rs. 25 per litre.

The Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) has already established a national biofuel center, with a strong website means to work as an information bank. PCRA has developed institutional linkages for research and development in the field of biofuels with Indian Oil Corporation, Delhi College of Engineering and other R&D Institutes.

What is required now is to propagate bio-diesel as a viable crop to farmers and as a viable fuel to auto users.
The Times of India (New Delhi), 01 Jul. 2005