Mysore firm to produce biodiesel

A $10 million biodiesel production facility and an international Jatropha technology centre will be set up in Mysore.

A joint venture of the US-based Biodiesel Industries and Mysore-based Labland Biotech, the MoU was signed in Mysore on January 16 for the two projects on a 25-acre land.

The biodiesel production facility will be a model one, its technology based on the recently-patented Biodiesel Industries Modular Production Unit (MPU).

It is expected to have the capacity to produce 10 million litres per year. The technology centre will be a state-of-the-art R&D facility.

"It is the first facility on jatropha in the country. Besides jatropha, the US-patented equipment will have the facility to extract biodiesel from any oil seed," Labland Biotech managing director Sudheer A Shetty told Business Standard.

"While the R&D facility will start functioning in about six months, the production facility will be ready for commercial production by December, installation of equipment and recruitment of staff are to be completed by April-May," he said.

"The venture will be the first truly-integrated biodiesel project in India, which includes all aspects of jatropha research, development and cultivation, together with processing equipment for extracting the oils and converting it into biodiesel, meeting strict international standards," said Labland Executive Director (R&D) Geetaa Singh.

The advantage of the new MPU design of the oil refinery is faster and less expensive to prefabricate biodiesel production equipment at a central location and then install it in the area from where it will be operated. The MPUs are designed such that it can be transported by truck, rail or ship anywhere in the world.

It is estimated that one biodiesel production facility based on the Biodiesel Industries' MPU will provide jobs for over 20,000 families of farmers.

Another key feature of the MPU is that it can process a wide variety of feedstock into biodiesel, meeting the most stringent of US. and international standards.

The feedstock could be virgin, crude and recycled vegetable oils and animal fats, such as soy, canola, mustard, rapeseed, fruit piths, cotton, palm, coconut, jatropha, neem, pongamia, hog fat, poultry fat, beef tallow, fish oil, recycled fryer oil and grease trap materials.

"The Indian government is very supportive of biodiesel project development and is making 1 lakh hectares of land available for growing jatropha. It is important that when these lands are planted with jatropha that it be done in a sustainable and socially responsible manner, which is why this collaboration with Labland is so important," said president & founder of Biodiesel Industries Russell Teall, after signing the MoU.

"The ingenuity of Indian farmers has given us a plethora of superior jatropha varieties with which to work. We have been comparing varieties from all over India, as well as other parts of the world, and believe we are developing the next generation of jatropha for helping India become fossil fuel energy independent," added Shetty.