A National Policy on Biofuels, 2018 was released by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy(MNRE) to augment bio fuel production and to address concerns regarding sustained and quantum non-availability of domestic feedstock. Bio fuels production in India is of strategic importance as it augers well with the initiatives of the Government such as Make in India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill Development whileoffering solutions to realize targets of doubling of Farmers Income, Import Reduction, Employment Generation, Waste to Wealth Creation etc.
What are Biofuels?
Bio fuels are combustible fuels created from biomass or a living plant matter as opposed to ancient plant matter in hydrocarbons. Biomass resources include biodegradable fractions of products, wastes and residues from agriculture, forestry and related industries as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal wastes.
Generation based Categories of Biofuels
Salient Features of the Policy
India’s 1st Biofuel Plant in Odisha Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) will complete commissioning of its second generation (2G) ethanol bio-refinery at Baulsingha village in Bargarh District of Odisha by 2020. This will be the first bio-fuel plant in the country where ethanol will be produced from rice straw. The refinery will have a capacity to produce 3 crore litres of fuel grade ethanol per year. Increasing bio fuel production in India is in line with India’s pledge in Paris Agreement to draw 175 Giga Watts of power from renewable sources.
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Benefits in Biofuel Production
Challenges in Biofuel Production
Way Forward
International Conference on Sustainable Bio Fuels 2018
The International Conference on Sustainable Biofuels was jointly organized by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India on behalf of Mission Innovation and Bio future Platform at New Delhi. Sustainable Bio fuel is one of the Seven Mission Innovation Challenges and India co-leads in this sector along with other countries like Brazil, Canada and China. Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Union to dramatically accelerate innovations in clean energy.
Seven Mission Innovation Challenges include: