The Hindu Business Line : DaimlerChrysler biodiesel project enters final phase

The Jatropha Biodiesel Project of the German carmaker DaimlerChrysler AG and DaimlerChrysler India with Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) and the University of Hohenheim as partners has entered its final phase.

During the second phase, the project seeks to address issues such as rural income and employment, indigenous and environment-friendly biodiesel and reclamation of wasteland.

This apart, it would optimise the value-chain of biodiesel creation through best practices and models for community participation and emphasise on finding innovative utilisation of by-products.

The Managing Director and CEO of DaimlerChrysler India, Dr Wilfried Aulbur, in a statement said, "The biodiesel project is at a very exciting stage now. Our vehicle tests with 100 per cent pure (unblended) biodiesel continue to show positive results. We have widened the fleet of Mercedes-Benz cars powered by biodiesel and have set up storage and dispensing facility for biodiesel at Pune to facilitate fleet-testing and research upon shelf life and storage issues of biodiesel."

The Director of SMCRI, Bhavnagar, Dr Pushpito Ghosh, said, "Oil-extraction and creation of biodiesel will call for community synergies and this is among the landmarks targeted during the second phase of this project. Our scientists have made considerable progress in the agronomic aspects and concentrating upon making available hardy, high-yielding varieties of Jatropha plants for cultivation. We will continue innovative utilisations of by-products and thereby aim to reduce the final cost of biodiesel."

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