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The Next Generation Sustainable Fuel

What is Bio Diesel?
The concept dates back to 1885 when Dr. Rudolf Diesel built the first diesel engine with the full intention of running it on vegetative source.

He first displayed his engine at the Paris show of 1900 and astounded everyone when he ran the patented engine on any hydrocarbon fuel available - which included gasoline and peanut oil. In 1912 he stated " … the use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may in the course of time become as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of present time."

Scientists discovered that the viscosity (thickness) of vegetable oils could be reduced in a simple chemical process In 1970 and that it could work well as diesel fuel in modern engine.

This fuel is called Bio- Diesel.
Since than the technical developments have largely been completed. Plant oil is highly valued as Bio fuel "Diesel" and transformed into Bio Diesel in most industrialised

Please note!!!

Bio Diesel is a substitute for, or an additive to, diesel fuel that is derived from the oils and fats of plants, like Sunflower, Canola or Jatropha.

It is an alternative fuel that can be used in diesel engines and provides power similar to conventional diesel fuel.

Bio Diesel is a renewable domestically produced liquid fuel that can help reduce the countries dependence on foreign oil imports.

Recent environmental and economic concerns (Kyoto Protocol) have prompted resurgence in the use of bio diesel throughout the world. In 1991, the European Community, (EC) Proposed a 90% tax reduction for the use of bio-fuels, including bio-diesel.

Today, 21 countries or more worldwide, produce Bio-diesel.

The Advantages of Bio Diesel

• Bio Diesel is the most valuable form of renewable energy that can be used directly in any existing, unmodified diesel engine.
• Energy Independence: Considering that oil priced at $70 per barrel has had a disproportionate impact on the poorest countries, 38 of which are net importers and 25 of Which import all of their oil; the question of trying to achieve greater energy independence one day through the development of bio-fuels has become one of ‘when’ rather than ‘if,’ and, now on a near daily basis, a bio-fuels programme is being launched somewhere in the developing world.
• Smaller Trade Deficit: Rather than importing other countries’ ancient natural resources, we could be using our own living resources to power our development and enhance our economies. Instead of looking to the Middle East for oil, the world could look to the tropics for bio-fuels. producing more bio-fuels will save foreign exchange and reduce energy expenditures and allow developing countries to put more of their resources into health, education and other services for their neediest citizens.
• Economic Growth: Bio-fuels create new markets for agricultural products and stimulate rural development because bio-fuels are generated from crops; they hold enormous potential for farmers. In the near future—especially for the two-thirds of the people in the developing world who derive their incomes from agriculture.
  
  Today, many of these farmers are too small to compete in the global market, especially with the playing field tilted against them through trade distorting agricultural subsidies. They are mostly subsistence farmers who, in a good year, produce enough to feed their families, and in a bad year, grow even poorer or starve. But bio-fuels have enormous potential to change this situation for the better.
  
  At the community level, farmers that produce dedicated energy crops can grow their incomes and grow their own supply of affordable and reliable energy.
  
  At the national level, producing more bio-fuels will generate new industries, new technologies, new jobs and new markets.
• Cleaner Air: Bio-fuels burn more cleanly than gasoline and diesel. Using bio-fuels means producing fewer emissions of carbon monoxide, particulates, and toxic chemicals that cause smog, aggravate respiratory and heart disease, and contribute to thousands of premature deaths each year.
• Less Global Warming: Bio-fuels contain carbon that was taken out of the atmosphere by plants and trees as they grew. The Fossil fuels are adding huge amounts of stored carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere, where it traps the Earth's heat like a heavy blanket and causes the world to warm. Studies show that bio-diesel reduces CO2 emissions to a considerable extent and in some cases all most nearly to zero.

In Nut-shell:

• Bio Diesel is the most valuable form of renewable energy that can be used directly in any existing, unmodified diesel engine.
• Bio Diesel fuel and can be produced from oilseed plants such as rape seeds, sunflower, canola, Maize and or JATROPHA CURCAS.
• Bio Diesel is environmental friendly and ideal for heavily polluted cities.
• Bio Diesel is as biodegradable as salt
• Bio Diesel produces 80% less carbon dioxide and 100% less sulfur dioxide emissions. It provides a 90% reduction in cancer risks.
• Bio Diesel can be used alone or mixed in any ratio with mineral oil diesel fuel. The preferred ratio if mixture ranges between 5 and 20% (B5 - B20)
• Bio Diesel extends the live of diesel engines
• Bio Diesel is cheaper then mineral oil diesel
• Bio Diesel is conserving natural resources

The Process
The process of converting vegetable oil into bio-diesel fuel is called Transesterification and is luckily less complex then it sounds.

Chemically, Transesterification means taking a triglyceride molecule or a complex fatty acid, neutralizing the free fatty acids, removing the glycerin, and creating an alcohol ester. This is accomplished by mixing methanol with sodium hydroxide to make sodium methoxide. This liquid is then mixed into the vegetable oil. After the mixture has settled, Glycerin is left on the bottom and methyl esters, or bio-diesel is left on top and is washed and filtered.

The final product Bio Diesel fuel, when used directly in a Diesel Engine will burn up to 75% cleaner then mineral oil Diesel fuel.

The Technology

The technology is mature and proven Presently, the indigenously designed bio-fuel plant for 30 TPD (tons per day) is in operation. We have to design and develop bio-fuel plants of 200 tones per day capacity for installation in different parts of the country. Effective marketing chain needs to be planned for enabling farmers to reap the benefits directly. Bio-fuel mission will provide technological and employment generation focuses for the rural sector. Use of eleven million hectares of wasteland for Jetropha cultivation can lead to generation of minimum twelve million jobs

The Cost

The cost of Bio Diesel is largely dependent on the choice of feedstock and the size of the production facility.

If Jatropha feedstock is used, the fuel will cost depending on the country approximately US $ 0,40 per liter plus tax when applicable.

FEED STOCK PRODUCTION PER HECTARE & COST THEREOF

International Laws and regulation

Several countries have active Biodiesel programmes. Such countries also have given legislative support and have drawn up national polices on biodiesel development. Wide variety of motives for action taken can observe like

• Increase of energy supply security
• Reduction of dependence on fossil energy forms
• Reduction of harmful locally acting emissions.
• Protection of soil by biodegradable products
• Reduction of health hazard by using non-toxic products.

Bio diesel Scenario In Africa

As the African Continent is deficient in edible oils, non-edible oil is the main choice for producing bio-diesel. Many African countries like Mali, Ghana, Tanzania. Started producing Bio-Diesel either in the pilot project or in a smaller scale. For example, in Mali, Jatropha oil is used to produce electricity for a couple of towns. Late Onua Amoah, of Ghana was quite successful in setting up the first pilot plant in Ghana for Bio-Diesel and now his company is heading to produce about 500TPD (tons per day) bio-diesel from Jatropha oil. More and more countries are coming forward for producing bio-diesel and planting Jatropha in thousands of Ha effectively.

Area Coverage vs. Blending Requirements

Bio Diesel Experiments

Initially 5% of the bio diesel was blended with High-speed diesel and later increased to 20%. It was proved in Accra, Ghana that Diesel Engine trucks and busses can run with bio-diesel without any blending. This is only the beginning.

Conclusion As a substitute for fast depleting fossil fuel. Bio diesel had come to stay. In future, it should also serve to reduce and maintain the price of automobile fuel. The under exploited and un exploited vegetable oils are good sources of bio-fuel. Whole of the African Continent is endowed with many such plants. Research is being carried out now to convert vegetable oils into bio-diesel through biotechnological processes using bio-diesel. With a concentrated and coordinated effort. Wide use of bio diesel in Africa is going to be a reality in the days to come.

In many African Nations, there are special committee on Jatropha Plantation and bio-diesel Production. Most of this committees are on the higher level, comprising Ministers, regional government bodies etc. These committees are planning to have plantation, procurement of seed, extraction of oil, trans-esterification, blending & trade, and research and development. Diesel forms nearly 40% of the energy consumed in the form of hydrocarbon fuels, and its demand is estimated in millions tons.

Therefore blending becomes the important issue which apart from giving the dividends , it saves the country's exchequer. Every African Country has vast stretches of degraded land, mostly in areas with adverse agro- climatic conditions, where species of Jatropha , Pongamina etc can be grown easily.

The production of Bio fuels will also boost the rural economy which will bring more enthusiasm in more than one billion lives in the African Continent as a whole.