Plants for cars

(Kanraj).

No, this isn't sophisticated high-powered diesel fuel, but a locally-grown, ubiquitous plant. Twenty-five buses in Chennai also use vegetable and plant oils as fuel, and further north even the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation has some buses using biodiesel.

Early this month, auto major Daimler Chrysler and Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), together with the Germany-based University of Hohenheim have confirmed that biofuel is a reality on the ground.

These partners test-drove two C-Class Mercedes-Benz and one eight-seater Viano on neat (100 per cent) biodiesel across the severe terrains of Khardung La (the highest motorable pass in the world), Rohtang Pass and Leh.

Indian Railways and the Indian Oil Corporation are also experimenting with biofuel, having run the Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi on imported soya-bean oil for a day, three years back.

"Not just that, railways are also using leftover vegetable oils from starred hotels (which don't reuse the oil) in Chennai for fuel," says Jaya Singh, chief mechanical engineer (planning), Southern Railways.

However, what is catching people's attention these days is the generation of biodiesel through Jatropha, a crop that flourishes in the wastelands in tropical climates.

And there is no dearth of that in India "" according to government figures, we have as much as 130 million hectares of wasteland, and of that, the land suitable for Jatropha cultivation alone is a cool 10 million hectares. Jatropha biodiesel is what was used by Daimler in its Leh trip.

The Reliance group is also evaluating the possible use of biodiesel, initially by growing Jatropha over a 200-acre plot of land in Andhra Pradesh.

"Jatropha has been established as a crop for the manufacture of biodiesel, and this is what has given an impetus to Reliance's plan. Reliance only has a small experimental plantation, based on which the technical and economical feasibility of Jatropha cultivation on a larger scale can be established," says a Reliance spokesperson.

While Reliance is still making cautious moves, Daimler seems upbeat about the success of Jatropha biodiesel. Says Hans-Michael Huber, CEO and MD of DaimlerChrysler India, "This was the first time that Jatropha neat biodiesel was used to power automobiles at such extreme altitudes and temperatures."

That is just one aspect of Jatropha. There is also, of course, the issue of emissions "" India has an average annual growth of 3.2 per cent in carbon emissions and is one of the top five countries in the world contributing to carbon emissions. Given all this, biodiesel comes as a major breather.

"With a much lower sulphur content, particulate emission of Jatropha biodiesel is only one-third that of normal diesel, making it compatible with Euro III and Euro IV (international environmental standards for vehicles)," says PK Ghosh, director, CSMCRI, an affiliate of Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

So do these initiatives suggest biodiesel is now a practical substitute for fossil fuel? "It is too early to talk about its commercial viability, since this would involve state and private sector participation. But initial results have been heartening," says Ghosh, confirming preliminary rounds of talks with several companies, including RIL.

Adds Suhas Kadlaskar, director, corporate affairs and finance, Daimler Chrysler India: "While we have tested the technological feasibility on the Leh trip, the economic feasibility is yet to been attained."

Although the Jatropha plant grows wild in many parts of India and is neither grazed by animals nor spoilt by pests, most in the business admit getting high yielding seeds is an important task.

Hyderabad-based Nandan Biomatrix is currently researching high-yielding seeds and saplings through tissue culture, cloning and so on in partnership with International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The time taken for the nut yield is two to five years and the seed kernels contain upto 35 per cent extractable oil, which can be converted into biodiesel by transesterification.

What's exciting about bio-diesel is that it can either be used as a blend with normal diesel or as a replacement. And even though it generates 8-9 per cent less power than fossil fuels, it is more or less comparable in mileage and can withstand temperatures upto 150o Celsius, unlike fossil fuels which have a flash point of only 50oC.

This eventually means high safety points. Ignition is also quicker and the drive is smoother. "In our Leh drive we realised that the drive was smoother; besides, there were no losses on average or engine power,"says Kadlaskar.

To make Jatropha a ground reality, Daimler Chrysler, along with CSMCRI, is in the process of raising a village cooperative by 2006 in Gujarat (the company has already set up a plantation in Gujarat and Orissa). It can raise a self-sufficient village with electricity, generator sets, tractors and tubewells, all running on biodisel grown by villagers themselves.

"Nandan is targeting to grow Jatropha over 2.5 lakh acres in the next three years. Currently it has a pilot project in Hyderabad, spread over 150 acres," says C S Jadhav, director marketing, Nandan Biomatrix. Nandan is also aiming at cultivating Jatropha on 12,500 acre in every state in the next 3 years.

With Jatropha biodiesel already traversing a comfortable 17,000 km drive across the country and with the topic of Jatropha also doing the rounds in Parliament, Planning Commission and Rashtrapati Bhawan, it looks like biofuel is more than just wishful thinking.