Fuel That Could Spur Rural Growth
Article written by Radhakrishna Rao
Thanks to an innovative initiative by Sustainable transformation
of Rural Areas (SUTRA), a project launched by the Mechanical Engineering
Department of the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) in Bangalore,
Tadasa and Agradahalli villages in Shimoga district of Karnataka
are all set to blaze a new trail in boosting their incomes while
at the same time sustaining the rural environment. These villages
have taken to growing Honge, whose seeds yield cost effective and
non-polluting oil. As pointed out by a spokesman of Shimoga based
Gramabhivraddhi Samithi, it is planned to extract oil from the seeds
yielded by Honge tree and produce diesel with a mini bio diesel
manufacturing unit. The bio diesel so produced could power gensets
and pump sets in the villages.
It was the thrust of SUTRA towards increasing the use of oil extracted
from Honge seeds (pongamia Pinata) as a substitute for diesel to
run tractors, pump sets and vegetable drying machines that has given
a boost to the popularization of Honge plantations in various parts
of Karnataka.
SUTRA, a brainchild of Udupi Srinivasa, a faculty member of the
Mechanical Engineering dept at IISC has been focusing on tackling
the energy crunch in rural areas through mobilizing local resources
at an affordable cost. One of its aims is to investigate and bring
into operation at the field level the use of bio resources like
seeds, fallen leaves and other tree outputs for sourcing energy
in the rural areas thus enabling them to become self reliant with
regard to their energy needs.
Dr. Srinivasa opines that ultimate objective of SUTRA is to forge
a "symbiosis between farmers' requirements for pumping water and
the need to generate agro residues to increase the farm output".
Srinivasa also stresses that this symbiosis could lead to "creation
of large rural demand for renewable power and also pay for itself
with increased farm output". HOne oil, derived from Honge seeds,
is an energy packed vegetable oil that could be answer to India's
rural energy crisis, opines Srinivasa. Honge or the beach tree grows
all over the country and is familiar as a common avenue tree, bearing
tiny whitish pink flowers and green pods carrying seeds. "Hone oil
is one of the most cost effective and non polluting diesel substitute,
but it has been neglected all these years, says Srinivasa.
In fact Rudolf Diesel himself had suggested and even experimented
with the use of vegetable oils for his diesel engine way back in
1921 points out Srinivasa.
He further observes "The only criterion to make the Honge oil usable
is that it has to be pre heated for use to reduce its viscosity
which is much higher than that of diesel at room temperature. The
power output of the diesel engine was however found to be almost
the same though the calorific value of the Honge oil was slightly
lower". The extraction of oil from Honge seeds requires pressing
them under the standard screw process. Thereafter the oil is filtered
with a view to eliminate impurities. Following this, it is treated
with alcohol using caustic soda as a catalyst. This "transesterification"
breaks down the molecules of the oil into methyl and ethyl alcohols
and transforms them into a bio diesel.
The economics of Hone oil is simply astounding. A Honge tree can
be grown easily on a dry land and starts yielding 15 years after
planting. A liter of Honge oil costing little over Rs. 10 is much
cheaper than the diesel vended at petrol pumps. On the other hand
if a farmer collects the seeds from his field, it just cost him
Rs. 4 a liter.
CHARKHA FEATURE
LAST UPDATED ON 2003
