Next generation bio-fuel is an emerging market in India and as per the Government’s ‘National Biofuel Policy’ the country aims to meet 20 per cent of its diesel demand with fuel derived from non edible seeds grown in waste and marginal lands by 2017. To meet this target 14 million hectares of land will be required for plantation. Presently fuel yielding plants cover less than 500,000 hectares in India.
About 400,000 square kilometers of land appropriate for growing Jatropha has been identified in different states such as Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
India’s bio-fuel policy is perceived as more sustainable than those of some of the developed countries because of its dependence on non-edible feedstock, which is supposed to be derived from wasteland and thus does not entail diversion of farm land or food crops.
Bio-fuels development policy
The country now imports 65 per cent of its petroleum and with demands mounting this could increase to 90 per cent by 2025. To reduce this dependence on oil imports, the Government is actively pursuing development of bio-fuels. Bio-fuels like ethanol and bio-diesel is facing severe challenges, mostly in terms of production costs, efficiency, transport and distribution, and costly vehicle modification.
First generation bio-fuels were derived from vegetable oils and animal fats. Problems with such bio-fuels are they do not scale in terms of gallons of fuels produced per acre and are not cost-competitive with oil without subsidies.
As food crops usage in bio fuels production resulted in increased food shortages across the world, the next generation bio-fuels include bio-fuels derived from plantations of special non-edible oil crops on wastelands such as Jatropha, Pongamia, Palm etc.
Third generation bio-fuel
However, even with non-edible oil crops there are small hurdles such as rising land prices and low efficiency in oil production. Bio-fuels derived from engineered microorganisms, called the third generation bio-fuel, are considered as the next level of solution. Though still in nascent stages, third generation bio-fuel is one of the most promising solutions.
Algae can produce up to 30 times more energy per acre than land crops such as soybeans. Algae species, specially engineered for the purpose of oil production, will produce about 100000 liters per hectare using an open raceway pond cultivation system compared to 5950 liters of oil which palm produces per hectare. Production can be raised manifolds by using engineered photo bio reactor systems.
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I wonder if there are any case studies of: bio-fuels derived from plantations of special non-edible oil crops on wastelands such as Jatropha, Pongamia, Palm etc.
It will be interesting to follow this and third generation bio-fuel is one of the most promising solutions.