The Hindu Business Line : Mercedes hits the road on biodiesel

TOUR of India, the first phase of DaimlerChrysler India Ltd's cross-country drive with the Mercedes Benz C Class running on biodiesel generated from Jatropha plants, was flagged off here on Monday.

The 5,000-km drive will cover hard terrain, including the tortuous Western Ghats, the humid coasts of South India and the dry arid deserts of Rajasthan and the flats of Gujarat.

Talking to presspersons, Mr Hans Michael Huber, Chief Executive Officer, said the idea behind the test-drive was to demonstrate the viability of biodiesel as a suitable alternative to conventional fuels, especially in the Indian context. The company would also conduct tests for emission properties, and power and drive systems compatibility during the run. The official said emission tests had been conducted for biodiesel and it could meet Euro II norms as it had very little particulate emission.

On whether the vehicles had to be customised, Mr Huber said other than changing a couple of rubber and plastic components in its fuel system, the car was the same as any other C Class on the road. The trial run would start from Pune and run through Bangalore, Kochi, Coimbatore, Chennai and other Southern cities before retuning back here. The second phase would cover Mumbai, followed by Ahmedabad and Jaipur to finally conclude at New Delhi. The run is expected to be completed on May 7, and the initial test results are expected by late May this year, he said.

Mr Huber said the project focused on trial operation with biodiesel generated from the Jatropha plants cultivated on eroded soil as well as on preparations for subsequent usage in internal combustion engines. It is scheduled for five years and would study aspects such as conversion of Jatropha oil into biodiesel, analysis of biodiesel with an eye on chemical suitability as a fuel, carbon dioxide absorption by the plantations and possible uses for byproducts and estimated income from production. He pointed out that it would also generate findings with regard to wasteland reclamation, rural employment, income generation and sustainable mobility in remote areas and reduction in carbon dioxide emission.

The project is partnered by DCIL, the Institute of Hohenheim University - Animal Production in the Tropics and Sub Tropics, Germany, and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research through its affiliate research laboratory, the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat.

DCIL has assumed the responsibility of project organisation, funding as well as vehicle fleet testing and said the total investment for the project is around Rs 3.25 crore.

Mr Huber said researchers from Hohenheim University had found particularly resistant, high-yield varieties of Jatropha in Mexico and Mali and these would be cultivated in the country.

He, however, pointed out that the trial run is being conducted from the biodiesel that has been produced from the wild plants of Jatropha in the Maharashtra and Gujarat regions.

He said two Jatropha plantations, one covering 20 hectares in Orissa and another of about 10 hectares, would be developed in Gujarat.

Depending on the test results, the company would engage itself in talks with oil companies for the production of biodiesel, Mr Huber said.

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