‘Need Serious Efforts to Promote Biofuel’

(Star of Mysore) World Biofuel Day observed at NIE; saplings given to students, dignitaries’ -- Deputy Director (Training) of Abdul Nazir Sab State Institute of Rural Development (ANSSIRD), Mysuru, K.S. Manoj Kumar has said that “We should give priority to adopt sustainable activities including the utilisation of bio-fuel.”

Manoj Kumar spoke after inaugurating World Biofuel Day organised by Karnataka State Biofuel Development Board, Mysuru Zilla Panchayat and NIE-Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Technologies (NIE-CREST) opposite NIE Golden Jubilee Complex in city yesterday.

Manoj Kumar felt that “We should not observe Biofuel Day only for namesake, by restricting to the awareness programme, without giving priority to its utilisation. We must give impetus to use sustainable energy in the coming days. Hence we should inculcate awareness on environmental friendly activities in children. Amid the fast paced technology we are ignoring environment. Our activities should be environment-friendly and society oriented.”

Director of DEED, Hunsur, Dr. Srikanth said: “Earlier it was common to see fruit groves in villages in large numbers, which have gradually come down. Similarly, we should develop Biofuel Parks (by growing trees required for tapping biofuel) and the Government should take action in this regard. With this, big resource will be available to produce biofuel.”

ACF (Social Forestry) Nagaraj said: “Following the directions of the Government we have been planting honge (Pongemia), bevu (Neem), simarouba and hippe plants on road side and hilly regions, besides planting more number of such saplings under Amrita Sarovara scheme. As per Government rule, 10 to 15 percent of plants that produce biofuel are being planted and even the farmers are being encouraged to grow the plants under Krishi Aranya Programme.”

As part of World Biofuel Day, over 100 saplings of honge, neem, simarouba and hippe were distributed among the students and dignitaries alike. The biofuel was also filled to the vehicles along with laying bio manure to the plants and trees in the premises. Mysuru ZP’s Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) Senior Engineer (Planning) Syed Murtuja Ali, NIE College Vice-Principal Dr. Ganesh Prasad, NIE-CREST Director S. Shamsundar and Rachana Ener Care Group PRO B.N. Shekar were present. READ MORE

Excerpt from Times of India: While setting the right targets and deadlines can definitely help address environmental concerns, it is vital to broaden the scope of the decarbonisation mission by pivoting the focus on biofuels which are one of the most viable solutions to solve current problems and meet future needs.

Switching to biofuels is also essential at a time when India is 85% dependent on imports to meet its oil needs. As per available data of the year 2022-23, the country consumed 85.90 million tonnes of diesel and the consumption of petrol stood at 34.98 million tonnes, up 13.4 per cent YoY. The country is one of the largest consumers of petroleum and to be able to achieve as a leader in the sustainability mission, it needs to accelerate its transition to cleaner alternatives like biofuels to curb greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the stress on its exchequer by cutting dependency on imports, and build a circular economy.

Biofuels have already been acknowledged as one of the most feasible solutions to the diminishing fossil fuels reserves along with many key advantages such as cost benefits, empowering rural economy, and reducing carbon footprint. They are made from biomass resources using a variety of materials such as plants, food & animal waste and farm residue. They have the ability to decompose naturally in the environment, which implies that they do not have the same negative impact on the environment as fossil fuels and do not add to pollution in the same way.

In addition to reducing dependence on fossil fuels, biofuels also serve as a catalyst to strengthen the economy by reducing government expenditure on fossil fuel imports, increasing farmers’ income by turning them from food producers to fuel producers, supporting new businesses mainly start-ups and achieving energy security and energy independence as well.

At this juncture, it is encouraging to see the Indian Government providing much-needed assistance to biofuels production.

According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy demand in India is growing at more than 3% on an annual basis and is expected to be the highest globally in the current decade due to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. Thus, it is crucial to make sure that a majority of this demand is met with cleaner alternatives like biofuels. To meet the target, India needs to ramp up biofuels production, build and upgrade infrastructure including processing plants, blending pumps, storage facilities and distribution networks. In addition, the biofuels industry needs substantial investment in research, development and production.

India is currently experiencing an increasing interest in electric vehicles. While this transition gathers pace, the government must also promote use of biofuels in vehicles. Reports suggest that use of E20 leads to an estimated reduction of carbon monoxide emissions by about 50 per cent in two-wheelers and about 30 per cent in four-wheelers compared to E0 (neat petrol), which can truly be a game-changer. The governments must remove existing bottlenecks such as limited availability of feedstock, increase consumer awareness and acceptance of biofuels to achieve sustainability goals faster. READ MORE