Here is a list of biofuels produced in India.
Energy and fuels from biomass can provide tremendous economic, environmental and energy security benefits. As energy prices rise and become increasingly volatile and as evidence of global warming mounts, the case for clean, renewable, domestic sources of energy has never been clearer. Biomass or plant matter can be converted into heat, electricity and alternatives to gasoline and diesel.
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The bioenergy that results can be a clean, renewable and domestic alternative to fossil fuels. Bioenergy can improve our economy, our environment and our energy security. Biomass to make electricity (also known as bio-power) can provide roughly the same economic and environmental benefits as making fuels (also known as biofuels). When energy security is considered, the balance of benefits tips strongly in favour of using biomass to help reduce our oil consumption by producing biofuels.
Biofuels are renewable source of energy derived from biological raw material as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases. Although fossil fuels have their origin in ancient carbon fixation, they are not considered biofuels by the generally accepted definition because they contain carbon that has been “out” of the carbon cycle for a very long time. In order to be considered a biofuel the fuel must contain over 80 per cent renewable materials. It is originally derived from the photosynthesis process and can therefore often be referred to as a solar energy source.
Biofuels are gaining worldwide acceptance as one of the solutions for problems of environmental degradation, energy security, rural employment, agricultural economy, oil import, oil price hikes, savings in foreign exchange, concern over greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and vehicular pollution. Two major biofuels for the transport sector, bio- ethanol and bio-diesel, have become popular in many countries across the world.
1. Bio-Ethanol:
Biologically produced alcohols, most commonly ethanol and less commonly propanol and butanol, are produced by the action of microorganisms and enzymes through the fermentation of sugars or starches (easiest), or cellulose (which is more difficult). Bio-butanol (also called bio-gasoline) is often claimed to provide a direct replacement for gasoline, because it can be used directly in a gasoline engine (in a similar way to biodiesel in diesel engines).
The principle fuel used as a petrol substitute for road transport vehicles is bio- ethanol. Ethanol or ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH), commonly termed as alcohol, is close to be perfect fuel because of low molecular weight, high oxygen content, high combustion efficiency, non-toxic and non-polluting nature and being a renewable raw material from varied saccharine and starchy substrates. Ethanol is a clear colourless liquid which is biodegradable.
The raw material used for producing ethanol varies from sugar in Brazil, cereals in USA, sugarbeet in Europe and molasses in India. In India, bio-ethanol (ethanol) is produced from a vast array of raw material: sugarcane, sugarbeet, sweet potato, cassava, rice, millets, maize, wheat, cellulosic biomass, bagasse, cane trash and cane tops, crop residues etc.
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There is also ongoing research and development into the use of municipal solid wastes to produce ethanol fuel. Corn-to-ethanol and other food stocks have implications both in terms of world food prices and energy yield. Now technology has been developed for the production of cellulosic ethanol.
Ethanol is a high octane fuel and has replaced lead as an octane enhancer in petrol. By blending ethanol with gasoline we can also oxygenate the fuel mixture so it burns more completely and reduces polluting emissions. Ethanol fuel blends are widely common in world market. The most common blend is 10 per cent ethanol and 90 per cent petrol (E10). Vehicle engines require no modifications to run on E10 and vehicle warranties are unaffected also.
Only flexible fuel vehicles can run on up to 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent petrol blends (E85). Brazil uses ethanol as 100 per cent fuel in about 20 per cent of vehicles and 25 per cent blend in gasoline in the rest of the vehicles. Australia and USA use 10 per cent ethanol gasoline blends; whereas 5 per cent blend is used in Sweden and Europe uses 15 per cent ethanol blended gasoline.
i. Reduction in carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons by 35 to 50 per cent.
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ii. Blended fuels give same mileage as that of gasoline.
iii. Smoother and cooler engine operation.
iv. No change in the engine or the carburetor is required for use of ethanol blended petrol up to 20 per cent.
v. CO2 emissions are 57 per cent lower than petrol.
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vi. No SO2 emissions, no NOx emissions, no particulate emissions and hydrocarbon emissions are not carcinogenic.
vii. Ethanol-gasoline (petrol) blend enhances octane numbers, reduces exhaust emissions, bio-degradable and non-toxic.
viii. Lower energy content as compared to gasoline.
ix. Ethanol blend to the extent of 20 per cent commercially viable.
x. Indigenously produced fuel.
xi. It has a higher octane rating than ethanol-free gasoline available at roadside gas stations which allows an increase of an engine’s compression ratio for increased thermal efficiency.
xii. In high altitude (thin air) locations, some states mandate a mix of gasoline and ethanol as a winter oxidizer to reduce atmospheric pollution emissions.
xiii. Ethanol is also used to fuel bio-ethanol fireplaces. As they do not require a chimney and are “flue less”, bio-ethanol fires are extremely useful for new build homes and apartments without a flue.
2. Bio-Methanol:
Methanol (CH3OH) is currently produced from natural gas, a non-renewable fossil fuel. It is called as wood alcohol and it can also be produced from biomass through biomass gasification. The methanol economy is an alternative to the hydrogen economy, compared to today’s hydrogen production from natural gas. Methanol can be produced from hydrogen- carbon oxide mixtures by means of the catalytic reaction of carbon monoxide and some carbon dioxide with hydrogen. Biosynthesis gas (bio-syngas) is a gas rich in CO and H2 obtained by gasification of biomass.
Biomass sources are preferable for bio-methanol than for bio-ethanol because bio- ethanol is a high-cost and low-yield product. This is a promising alternative, with a diversity of fuel applications with proven environmental, economic and consumer benefits. Bio- methanol’s biggest advantage is that as a fuel itself, it can be used in automotive engines very similar to those currently on the market, as well as being able to be stored and transported in much the same way that diesel and gasoline are today.
3. Butanol:
Butanol (C4H9OH) is formed by ABE fermentation (acetone, butanol, ethanol) and experimental modifications of the process show potentially high net energy gains with butanol as the only liquid product. Butanol will produce more energy and can be burned straight in existing gasoline engines (without modification to the engine or car) and is less corrosive and less water soluble than ethanol and could be distributed via existing infrastructures. DuPont and Bharat Petroleum are working together to help developing Butanol. Escherichia coli have also been successfully engineered to produce butanol by hijacking their amino acid metabolism.
4. Bio-Diesel:
The term bio-diesel stands for neat vegetable oils used as Diesel Fuel (DF) as well as neat methyl esters prepared from vegetable oils or animal fats and blends of conventional diesel fuel with vegetable oils or methyl esters. With increasing emphasis on the use of esters as DF, however, the term “bio-diesel” increasingly refers to alkyl esters (especially methyl esters) of vegetable oils and animal fats.
Bio-diesel is also defined as the mono alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable lipid feedstock, such as vegetable oils or animal fats, for use in compression ignition (diesel) engines. Bio-diesel commonly quoted as “alternative fuel” which refers to any “fuel, other than alcohol, that is derived from biological materials”. It is produced from oils or fats using trans esterification and is a liquid similar in composition to fossil/mineral diesel.
Bio-diesel is a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestically grown, renewable resources. Bio-diesel is safe to handle and transport because it is as biodegradable as sugar, 10 times less toxic than table salt and has a high flash point of about 148°C compared to petroleum diesel fuel, which has a flash point of 52°C.
Bio-diesel contains no petroleum products, but can be blended at any concentration with diesel from fossil sources to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modification. Bio-diesel is simple to use, biodegradable, non-toxic and basically free of sulphur compounds and aromatics.
When Rudolf Diesel designed his prototype diesel engine a century ago, he ran it on peanut oil. He planned that diesel engines would operate on a variety of vegetable oils. But when petroleum diesel fuel arrived on the marketplace, it was cheap, reasonably efficient and readily available and therefore quickly became the diesel fuel of choice. Blending of bio- diesel with diesel would result in the reduction of un-burnt hydrocarbons. The biomass- derived esters can be blended with conventional diesel fuel or used as a neat fuel (100 per cent bio-diesel).
Blending conventional DF with esters (usually methyl esters) of vegetable oils is presently the most common form of bio-diesel. The most common ratio is 80 per cent conventional diesel fuel and 20 per cent vegetable oil ester (also termed “B20” indicating the 20 per cent level of bio-diesel). There have been numerous reports that significant emission reductions are achieved with these blends.
No engine problems were reported in larger-scale tests with urban bus fleets running on B20 and its fuel economy was comparable with DF. Ester blends have been reported to be stable, for example, a blend of 20 per cent level bio- diesel with 80 per cent DF did not separate at room temperature over a period of 3 months.
Pure bio-diesel (B100) has a solvent effect, which may well release deposits accumulated on tank walls and in pipes from operation. It will also attack paint and similar surfaces, given the chance. Using high blends of biodiesel, the release of deposits may clog filters initially and care should be taken to replace fuel filters until the build-up of deposits is eliminated. This issue is less of a problem with B20 blends and there is no evidence that lower-blend levels such as B20 have caused filters to become blocked.
Bio-diesel use has been showing remarkable increase since the last decade, particularly in Europe, Germany, France and Australia which have fairly large programs. However, now bio-diesel has also caught the serious attention of the USA, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Philippines, Ghana, South Africa, China, Zambia and many other countries.
Bio-diesel can be stored just like the petroleum diesel fuel and hence does not require separate infrastructure. Feed stocks for bio-diesel include animal fats, vegetable oils, soya, rapeseed, mustard, flax, sunflower, palm oil, hemp, algae and Tree Borne Oilseeds (TBOs) like jatropha (Jatropha curcas), karanja (Pongamia pinnata), jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis), neem (Azadirachta indica ), mahua (Madhuca species ) etc.
i. Particulate matters emissions are 30 per cent lower than diesel.
ii. Hydrocarbon exhaust emissions are 93 per cent lower than diesel.
iii. Nitrogen oxide emissions can be effectively managed and efficiently eliminated from bio-diesel.
iv. Bio-diesel reduces the health risk associated with diesel by release of decreased levels of Polycycline Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) and nitrate PAH compounds by 75 to 80 per cent.
v. The overall ozone (smog) forming hydrocarbon emission is 50 per cent lower than diesel.
vi. Carbon monoxide exhaust emissions are 50 per cent lower than diesel.
vii. It reduces overall exhaust emissions.
viii. Bio-degradable and non-toxic.
ix. Fuel consumption comparable to diesel.
x. Higher flash point.
xi. Clean burning and renewable fuel.
xii. Indigenously produced fuel.
xiii. Biodiesel is less expensive than conventional diesel.