Soon, aircraft will fly using biofuel derived from jatropha oil, thanks to the efforts of the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) that successfully converted jatropha oil into jet fuel through research that can reduce India’s dependency on oil producing countries for jet fuel in the near future. It may also prove to be a revolutionary step in the quest for alternative fuels.
The research, which started around five-year ago, bore fruits in late 2010 when scientists efficiently converted jatropha oil into jet fuel at IIP lab. In 2011, the achievement got international recognition after American Standard Testing Method (ASTM) approved this biojet fuel for commercial application in aircraft.
Principal scientist Dr Anil Sinha, the man behind the research, said, “ASTM in its approval recommended that upto 50 per cent blend of biojet fuel with normal fuel can be used for commercial applications in aircrafts. This endorsement infused fresh energy in the team since its efforts got international recognition, and it went ahead with the project with a fresh zeal.”
After the landmark achievement, a large pilot plant with 20 litre per day production capacity of Bio-Jet fuel was set up at IIP. Subsequently, conversion of jatropha oil into bio jetfuel started. Now, the plant produces enough fuel for testing in aircraft engines. The process to check the viability of its production for commercial use is also on.
Enthused with this achievement, Sinha is confident that bulk production will bring down its cost. “At present, per litre bio jet fuel costs `100. But, initial test has shown very positive results. So we strongly believe that bulk production will bring down its cost tremendously. Jatropha oil, purchased from Udaipur, is converted into bio jet fuel,” Dr Sinha said.
Sinha also highlighted difficulty in developing alternative fuels. “Jet fuel must meet very stringent international specifications, due to which it is much more difficult to develop an alternative fuel for aviation than for automobile applications,” Sinha said.
He claims, “Bio jet fuels derived from jatropha oil is suitable to use in aircraft. CSIR-IIP is the first institute in India to produce 300 litres of high quality biojet fuel from jatropha curcas oil and approximately 130 litres was supplied to aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, Canada and another 70 litres to IOCl for blending and further supplying to IISc Banglore for engine tests.”