An assessment of biodiesel feedstock conversion efficiency: a case study of decentralised biofuel production program in rural India
by Andrew Aaron Jungman; Mahadev G. Bhat; Krishnaswamy Jayachandran; Balakrishna Gowda
International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology (IJRET), Vol. 8, No. 1, 2017

Abstract: In response to a national ambitious biofuel policy, the Indian state of Karnataka launched a feedstock development program on the principles of decentralisation, sustainability, and multiple fuel sources. A network of farmers oilseed associations are being formed in order to encourage farmers to grow, pool and process a large number of small-scale oilseed productions. Success of such program depends on the conversion efficiencies of the feedstock at multiple stages and value added by-products. This study focuses on one of the program crops, Simarouba glauca, as a test case. The conversion efficiency of the village-level, decentralised production model was assessed and compared with the theoretical biodiesel production efficiency. The study indicated that the field-level feedstock conversion efficiency was less than that of the lab-scale set up. However, the fuel qualities of the Simarouba glauca biodiesel were found to be of standards required for fuel designation. The study shows that there is a significant potential for improving the field-level feedstock conversion efficiency through technical improvements and best practices in oilseed collection, curing and conversion. The study offers a few programmatic and policy suggestions for such improvements.

Online publication date: Fri, 09-Dec-2016

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