The non-renewability, environmental concerns and health threats associated with the nonrenewable fuel sources has actually caused expedition of alternative sources of energy to replace the traditional ones. A promising technology, still in its infancy, that might show us the way to the future ahead is Biodiesels. Biodiesels are diesel fuels obtained from veggie oil or animal-fat that could be used to run diesel motors. Vegetables oils like sunflower, rape seed, palm oil, soya bean, Jatropha etc can be subjected to oil processing to produce biodiesels. It consists of no petroleum but can be mixed with petroleum diesel for usage or could be utilized in its pure form.

Developed countries particularly United States and European Countries have actually already made substantial advances in the Technology. Biodiesel have found its usage throughout markets and verticals and could emerge as a perfect cleaner and less expensive alternative to fuel, diesel and fossil fuels. India has also started exploring the opportunities to produce and use bio-diesel. A number of plants for biodiesel transesterification are currently operating in the nation where vegetable oils are responded with alcohols (ethanol or methanol typically) to produce bio-diesel.

The main factor for the increasing demand for biodiesels is the truth that biodiesels are eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, thus having no net influence on the environment. Besides, bio-diesel operates in compression engines just like regular petroleum diesel and thus can be utilized with little or no engine adjustments. Biodiesel do not require any different infrastructure for its storage and can be saved similar to the petroleum based fuels.

Considering the growing energy demand in the nation, rising petroleum prices and the ecological threats of fossil fuels, the Indian Government has taken up efforts to establish the Bio Diesel Technology in India and set up more oil processing systems. The Government announced its 'National Biofuel Policy' on 12 September 2008 which intends to meet 20% of India's diesel demand with bio-fuels in the coming years.

Globally, edible vegetable oils like sunflower, soya bean, rape seed, palm oil are utilized as the pre-dominant raw products for oil processing and biodiesel production however in India the maximum potential to produce biodiesels is from Jatropha oil - a non-edible one produced from the seeds of the Jatropha curcas. The most significant benefit of utilizing jatropha curcas as a basic material is that this plant can be grown in big amounts in wastelands all across India needing extremely little water in comparison to other money crops. Once grown, the plant has a beneficial life-span of a number of decades. The jatropha curcas seeds contain 40% oil and are considered to be an excellent source of bio-diesel. The Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometres of land suitable for the Jatropha growing in the nation. India now

A study approximates that even if a blending initiative of 2% Jatropha based Biodiesel is accomplished in 2011-12, India will conserve around Rs. 3000 crores. Besides, it will generate around Rs. 5500 crores in the rural economy and help in decrease of Green House Gas emission by 3 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) every year. The federal government is taking steps to motivate the cultivation of jatropha curcas in India offering totally free seeds, subsidized loans and other facilities. India needs to now strengthen its efforts to make the fullest use of the Biodiesel Technology. Besides jatropha curcas, the avenues for extracting biodiesel from vegetable oils, fats, sunflower, rape seed oil and palm oil need to also be checked out. It will not only supply an answer to the difficulty of Global Warming but might decrease our reliance on foreign oil and add to our own economy.