The Government of India's biofuel policy has many holes which need to be plugged.
With the escalating crude prices, India has suddenly woken up to the possibility of using biofuel to fill the tanks of automobiles and trucks. Before the country plunges headlong into the biofuel bandwagon, one must critically examine some crucial issues. Among the various plants which are suitable for the generation of biofuel, Jatropha Curcas is the most talked about. There are projects galore in states like Chhattisgarh, where every farmer is being coaxed into cultivating the plant. The Indian government has taken a big step forward in its quest to implement the biofuel policy by asking the public-sector oil companies to buy Jatropha oil from producers at a rate of Rs. 25 per liter. Admittedly, this is a significant decision; but, the Government of India seems oblivious, either advertently or inadvertently, on many aspects of the issue, which call for an immediate attention.
The first and foremost is the question of the by-product of biofuel processing, glycerin. Before the Jatropha oil is mixed with diesel, the raw oil has to be transesterified. When the transesterification takes place, glycerin is produced as a by-product. For every 1000 kg of transesterified oil, 250 kg glycerin is produced. When huge quantities of glycerin are produced, there will be no internal market for the by-product, because, at best, the internal demand does not exceed 50,000 tons. How can the country dispose of the excess glycerin? This is a very serious question to which none among the policy makers in the Petroleum Ministry seem to have applied their mind. Elsewhere in the world, for instance, in the US and Europe, glycerin as a by-product of biofuel manufacture is already posing a serious disposal problem. While there is an urgent need to develop new applications for glycerin, the Indian government is totally silent on the question. The possibility of exploring the use of glycerin in the manufacture of products, similar to those manufactured from petroleum-based industry, must be looked into. This calls for the development of glycerin-based research to take the biodiesel program forward. |
