Biofuel Production by Using Biomass and Its Application
Sarita Bisht, Amit Kumar, Narendra Kumar, Hukum Singh, Parmanand Kumar
Abstract
Biofuel production has gained much attention because of the many direct and indirect benefits against many global and national concerns and challenges. Besides its carbon-mitigating potential and reducing GHG emissions that help to minimize climate change, it has a massive role in India’s energy security. India is known to import 83% of its domestic oil requirement, and the oil prices too are volatile and change as international relations shuffle. The Indian Government aimed to develop Rs 1 trillion biofuel economy and report that 10 million litres of E10 (which contains 10% ethanol) can save Rs 28 crore of foreign exchange at current rates. The Government of India is a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted by 195 countries in Paris in 2015 and planned to double farmers’ income by 2022. Against the backdrop of all these, India accepted the National Biofuel Policy 2018. There have been concerns regarding land and food for biofuel production in a hunger-stricken impoverished in a country like India. However, this policy allows surplus starch-rich crops to be used as a raw material for biofuel production and help secure the farmer in case of not getting appropriate price for their produce during surplus years. Many potential raw materials have been identified for the production of biofuel. In south India, Pongamiapinnata, Callophyluminophylum, and Simaraubaglauca are good potential sources. Algae has also been gaining wide popularity for biofuel production. The biofuel program is known to enhance rural employment as well. Nonetheless, some success achieved can also be celebrated through the first partially biojet fuel-powered Spicejet from Dehradun, Uttarakhand to Delhi, covering some 258km. Spicejet claimed using biojet fuel can reduce traditional aviation fuel by up to 50% on every flight. There have also been many reported noteworthy achievements in the use of biofuel at the local level across the country.