Key Points
Theme for 2020: “Biofuels towards Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
Objective: To create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels and to highlight the various efforts made by the Government in the Biofuel sector.
Celebrated by: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas since 2015.
Biofuels programme is also in synergy with Government of India’s initiative of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Govt Initiatives to Promote Biofuels
Biofuel: Any hydrocarbon fuel that is produced from an organic matter (living or once living material) in a short period of time (days, weeks, or even months) is considered a biofuel.
Blending of biofuels: Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme, Administrative price mechanism for ethanol, Simplifying the procurement procedures by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), amending the provisions of Industries (Development & Regulation) Act, 1951 etc are some of the initiatives taken to promote blending of biofuels.
Researchers at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) are developing a method to use cyanobacterium for biofuel production.
Recently, the Central government has also allowed the conversion of surplus rice to ethanol.
Initiatives by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology:
Development of 2G Ethanol and transfer of the technology to OMCs.
Development of Indigenous Cellulolytic Enzyme for the production of biofuels.
Strengthened the international collaboration to accelerate innovation in Sustainable Biofuel through multilateral programs like Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Biofuture Platform.
Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana, 2019: The objective of the scheme is to create an ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and to boost Research and Development in 2G Ethanol sector
GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) DHAN scheme, 2018: It focuses on managing and converting cattle dung and solid waste in farms to useful compost,biogas and bio-CNG, thus keeping villages clean and increasing the income of rural households.
It was launched under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).
Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO): It was launched by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) aims for an ecosystem that will enable the collection and conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel.
National Policy on Biofuels, 2018:
The Policy categorizes biofuels as "Basic Biofuels" viz. First Generation (1G) bioethanol & biodiesel and "Advanced Biofuels"- Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels, Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. to enable extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category.
It expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production by allowing use of sugarcane juice, sugar containing materials like sugar beet, sweet sorghum, starch containing materials like corn, cassava, damaged food grains like wheat,broken rice, rotten potatoes, unfit for human consumption for ethanol production.
The Policy allows use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol with the approval of National Biofuel Coordination Committee.
With a thrust on Advanced Biofuels, the Policy indicates a viability gap funding scheme for 2G ethanol Bio refineries of Rs. 5000 crore in 6 years in addition to additional tax incentives, higher purchase price as compared to 1G biofuels.
Way Forward
Promotion of the use of biofuels in transportation in the countries like India will help in reducing the crude import bill.
India being a large agricultural economy, there is a large amount of agricultural residues available, therefore the scope of producing Biofuels is immense in the country. Biofuels can help in rural and agricultural development in the form of new cash crops.
Efforts for producing sustainable biofuels should be made by ensuring use of wastelands and municipal wastes that get generated in cities. A properly designed and implemented biofuel solution can provide both food and energy.
A community-based biodiesel distribution programme that benefits local economies, from the farmers growing the feedstock to local businesses producing and distributing the fuel to the end consumer, will be a welcome step.
As the fallouts of climate change are manifesting in the form of natural calamities and devastating ecological imbalances, the need for sustainability in all walks of life has only increased. In this context, the way humans approach and consume biofuel can have a lasting impact on the future, with regard to the environment. To drive home this point, August 10 is observed as World Biofuel Day. The day is set aside to raise awareness about unconventional fuel sources that can serve as an alternative to the more traditional fossil fuels. The emphasis is on the usage of non-fossil fuels or biofuels that enable cleaner consumption patterns.
History
August 10 is observed as World Biofuel Day in honour of Sir Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine. It was just one day before, on August 9 in 1893 that Sir Diesel, first successfully operated the mechanical engine with peanut oil. With this, he was able to predict the possibility of vegetable oil replacing fossil fuels as a feasible source of energy in the next century. To commemorate this achievement, the date was chosen to observe World Biofuel Day.
Significance
Biofuels are renewable and biodegradable sources of energy. By virtue of these qualities, they are more sustainable than their traditional counterparts. "Biofuel" is an umbrella term for any type of fuel that can be generated from biological material such as agricultural wastes, or vegetation including trees and crops. grass. The principle of biofuel is that it must be produced from a carbon source that can be replenished within a short interval of time. Additionally, biofuels have a lesser carbon footprint when compared to non-renewable fossil fuels.
Theme
This year (2021), the theme has been announced to be "promotion of biofuels for a better environment". The focus will be squarely on using biofuels in an optimum manner while ensuring that their adverse effects on the environment are kept at a minimum. Raising awareness of the availability of biofuels as effective replacements for traditional fuels will also be another important objective.
Benefits of Biofuel
Biofuels have several benefits like a reduction in import dependence, ensure a cleaner environment, generate additional income for farmers and employment generation, etc.
Several initiatives have been taken by the Government of India to increase the blending of biofuels. Some major initiatives include administrative price mechanism for ethanol, simplifying the procurement procedures by OMCs, amending the provisions of Industries (Development & Regulation) Act, 1951, Long term ethanol procurement policy, ethanol distillation capacity addition, and enabling lignocellulosic route for ethanol procurement.
World Biofuel Day 2021: Quotes
1. "Biofuels are the future of energy in this nation and around the world." - Rod Blagojevich
2. "The growing use of biofuel will be an inestimable contribution to the generation of income, social inclusion and reduction of poverty in many poor countries of the world." - Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
3. "Ethanol and biodiesel allow people to burn a cleaner form of energy." - Mark Kennedy
4. "The use of plant oil as fuel may seem insignificant today. But such products can in time become just as important as kerosene and these coal-tar-products of today." - Rudolf Diesel
5. "Biofuels are the future of energy in this nation and around the world." - Rod Blagojevich
6. "As both a former governor and a Naval officer I can tell you energy security remains among biofuels most important benefits." - Matt Blunt
7. "I strongly agree with Vice President Gore that we cannot drill our way to energy independence, but must fast-track investments in renewable sources of energy like solar power, wind power, and advanced biofuels..." - Barack Obama
8. "We should increase our development of alternative fuels, taking advantage of renewable resources, like using corn and sugar to produce ethanol or soybeans to produce biodiesel." - Bobby Jindal
9. "I love the idea that biodiesel has the potential to support farmers, especially the family farms." -Daryl Hannah
10. "So organic farming practices are something that, to me, are interlinked with the idea of using biodiesel." - Daryl Hannah
