Scientists at the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute are working on a project to develop frost-tolerant varieties of bio-fuel bearing Jatropha plant for large-scale plantation in the US.
Banks denied him funding, the red-tapism and bureaucracy was also of no help. That did not discourage Akshay Vir Singh Tyagi from venturing into Jatropha cultivation seeing the huge potential for biofuels in the coming years. He has already promoted Jatropha cultivation in 5,500 acres of land in Uttar Pradesh and is aiming high. Tyagi already has invitation to set up projects in Maharashtra.
The desperation in countries like the United States is turning into forlornness. History says that whenever the West gets desperate enough over any festering issue, they find a solution. The discovery of penicillin is the product of such desperation. With this level of hopelessness, it will not be surprising if the world is seeing the last days of the lordship of the almighty crude oil.
A large number of companies, either based out of this eastern state or having a significant presence there, are being probed for running illicit 'collective investment schemes', while penal action has already been initiated by Sebi against over 20 other entities from the region.
Clean development mechanism (CDM) should be used to make the prices affordable for the poor.
Isonox Bio-Energy, the first bio-diesel manufacturing unit in Nashik, has started operations at the Ambad area of MIDC Nashik. The unit will manufacture bio-diesel from Jatropha curcas seeds.
'This is a huge step in promoting the 'Make in India' mission as this bio-fuel would be produced from Tree Borne Oils sourced from tribal areas and farmers.'
Made from Jatropha crop, the fuel has been developed by the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun.
With the government planning to start 20 per cent blending of bio-diesel with diesel, Indian oil companies are fast firming up their bio-diesel ventures.
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Southern Online Bio Technologies Ltd, which is setting up the first commercial bio-diesel plant in the country, is spearheading a movement to popularise the cultivation of Pongamia and Jatropha seeds that help production of bio-diesel.
Public sector oil firms will purchase bio-diesel extracted from plants like Jatropha for mixing in diesel, at Rs 25 a litre beginning January 1.
British biodiesel firm D1 Oils Plc is entering into joint venture agreement with Chennai-based Mohan Breweries and Distilleries Ltd to produce biodiesel derived from Jatropha.
The UK-based D1 Oils would commission its first refinery for producing biodiesel from Jatropha in Chennai early next year, a senior company executive said.
New government policy on biofuels may consider financial incentives. Indian Oil Corporation, the country's biggest oil marketing company, is looking to acquire 50,000 hectares of wasteland in Uttar Pradesh for plantation of non-edible oilseeds, such as jatropha and karanjia, that are used for biodiesel production.
Forest land in the state could be used for plantation of biofuel crops like Jatropha, chief minister Sheila Dikshit said.
Initially, the industry thought jatropha could be grown on wasteland, without irrigation. They got it wrong, as good care is required for at least three years of the total plant life of 40-45 years, in which moderate irrigation is also required.
With oil flowing past $145 a barrel, leading companies in the country have lined up plans to explore opportunities in jatropha cultivation and prospects of biofuel. The companies are flocking to Gujarat, which has earmarked 1,900,000 acres in the Narmada region for the crop cultivation.
Aditya Aromedic and Bio Energy Pvt Ltd has recently started commercial production of bio-diesel from Jatropha. The good news is that bio-diesel marketed by the company is cheaper than the fossil diesel sold by oil marketing companies in the country.
From using bio-fuels to revamping in-flight food and drinks services, eschewing mass-produced chicken/eggs in favour of local, farm-raised options to offering eco-friendly toys for children, airlines try out inventive measures to encourage carbon-neutral practices.
A senior RIL executive confirmed this development, but refused to divulge further details. "There has been some research on producing ethanol from jethropa. However, the tests have not been confirmed," said a scientist who has been working with the Gujarat state government for studying crops in Kutch. Another view by the industry experts is that the sugar industry in South Gujarat is not finding enough takers for the ethanol produced.
Please, let us not be scared of multinational corporations
And hold your breath, there is a bio-diesel park too! The Jatropha plantation here is in its third year.
DaimlerChrysler India, which has a jatropha bio-diesel programme in place, said it would test its cars using the alternate fuel in Leh and other regions of the Himalayas.
The implementation of projects on bamboo development and bio-fuels is estimated to create 2.2 crore (22 million) new jobs by 2012 besides conserving Rs 830 crore (Rs 8,300 million) in foreign exchange annually.
Four veterans of the Indian National Army, an all-women contingent of the 183-year-old Assam Rifles marching down Rajpath and an Indian Air Force aircraft flying using a mix of traditional and biofuel.
Calling the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as initiation of a "revolution" in the country, Vishwa Hindu Parishad patron Ashok Singhal said by 2020, India would be a Hindu nation.
'Greenpeace has been brutal in targeting both India and the Manmohan Singh government. The push to go after Indian coal is driven by its long-term agenda. What is surprising is that China has not been meted out the same treatment, despite the fact that the rise of China as an economic power has been built around generating power from coal. 'Being richer and more affluent, yet far less democratic, there is less room for an NGO such as Greenpeace to drive home a complicated global agenda, so there is more of a tendency to go along with anything the Chinese offer despite China being the biggest by far with regard to coal use. But for India, it reserves tougher prescriptions, notably for its middle class, says Srinivas Bharadwaj.
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