Army marches ahead on bio-diesel application

The country's defence forces is set to move ahead in the direction of using bio-oil blended fuel for its tanks, military vehicles and heavy-duty generators in the forward areas.

A number of processes and experiments "" right from cultivation of crops like Jatropha to a superior quality bio-diesel blending "" are in their various stages of progress for the purpose.

"We are seriously experimenting with defence application of bio-diesel. We are testing this blend on military vehicles like tanks and heavy-duty generators used in forward areas. We are also trying to enhance the blending in some areas and having model demonstrations," W Selvamurthy, Chief Controller of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Ministry of Defence, told Business Standard.

The DRDO is viewing the project in its totality, from a bio-fuel crop to its enhanced blending, exclusively for defence purposes. The Army has about 2,000 hectares of unutilised land. Bio-fuel crops can be cultivated on most of these. Taking a major plunge in this direction, the Army has taken up bio-fuel crop cultivation.

As a model project, it has planted Jatropha on 480 hectares in Secunderabad and in the second phase at Ahmednagar. The plants are in the fruiting stage already.

Another achievement of the DRDO has been the identification of germ plasm of plants that has the highest oil yield. The 36.4 per cent oil yield these plants offer is the highest in the country. Apart from identifying the high-yielding variety, the DRDO has propagated tissue culture as well.

Explaining further about the on-going project, the DRDO R&D scientist said another advanced step taken up was the installation of an extraction plant, with the CSIR providing the transfer verification technology. The process enables bio-diesel conversion of Jatropha seeds.

"After oil extraction, the next issue is if the 70 per cent cake left behind can be used as fodder. Here, however, arises the toxicity problem, which needs to be tackled. For this purpose, we are trying detoxification, of 'Curcin', so that the cake serves a triple bio-mass application "" bio-fertiliser, bio-pesticide and fodder," Selvamurthy said.

A problem that the Army will face in utilising bio-diesel in the forward areas is its hardening quality in the severe cold conditions. Hence, extending the shelflife of thus produced bio-diesel is also being tackled. Thus, we are looking at the bio-diesel application for defence in its totality, as part of an energy security measure," the DRDO Chief Controller added.