Title: An assessment of biodiesel feedstock conversion efficiency: a case study of decentralised biofuel production program in rural India

Authors: Andrew Aaron Jungman; Mahadev G. Bhat; Krishnaswamy Jayachandran; Balakrishna Gowda

Addresses: Earth and Environment Department, Florida International University, Miami, USA ' Earth and Environment Department, Florida International University, Miami, USA ' Earth and Environment Department, Florida International University, Miami, USA ' Forestry and Environmental Sciences Department, University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore, and Project Coordinator, Biofuel Park, Madenur, Hassan, India

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.

Keywords: transesterification; India; technical efficiency; biodiesel feedstock; non-edible oilseed; Simarouba glauca; biofuels; rural areas; feedstock conversion efficiency; case study; decentralised production; collaboration; farmer oilseed associations; small-scale production.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRET.2017.080870

International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology, 2017 Vol.8 No.1, pp.47 - 63

Received: 21 Sep 2015
Accepted: 20 Jul 2016
Published online: 09 Dec 2016 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article