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D. Murali

If India has to achieve a 20 per cent bio-diesel blend (B20) by 2020, 38 million hectares of wasteland would have to be cultivated, and the current yield of 1 to 2 tonnes per hectare would have to increase to 5 tonnes per hectare, says a recent publication of Worldwatch Institute.

Though 55.3 million hectares of so-called ‘wasteland’ are available in the country, as per Wasteland Atlas (2003), there is the hurdle of unresolved ownership issues. “In addition, the long-term economic viability of Jatropha plantations on degraded soils has not yet been established,” reads a snatch in ‘Biofuels for Transport: Global potential and implications for sustainable energy and agriculture’ ( www.vivagroupindia.com ).

“India currently produces 665 million litres of fuel ethanol annually, derived primarily from molasses from sugar production… Production costs are currently around 0.36 euro ($0.44) per litre, which is an average value from an international perspective.”

The book makes a mention of some of the pilot projects – such as the public-private partnerships involving DaimlerChrysler, Hohenheim University and Deutschen Investitions und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, the German company Lurgi, Southern Online Bio Technologies and the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit. In a chapter with ‘recommendations for decision-makers,’ the Institute is positive that ethanol use can increase to 10 per cent of non-diesel fuel, possibly more, with minimal changes to current car fleet or infrastructure.

The essay offers a list of suggestions on how governments can encourage the necessary infrastructure transition. Flexible fuel vehicle technology is the foremost in the list. “For example, governments could call for 100 per cent of new cars available in the domestic marketplace to be bio-diesel compatible within ten years.”

Requiring fuel companies to provide bio-fuels is another suggestion. “Governments could, for example, require that all refuelling stations over a certain size convert at least one pump to bio-fuels.” Also, the Institute advises that small refuelling stations should be supported, since they have a higher chance of success, as is the experience in Sweden.

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