NDA now aims at its own fuel

PUNE: Few years ago, when Ramar Pillaiclaimed to have found herbal fuel, not many believed him. Today the world isafter biodiesel and if everything goes in the right direction the NationalDefence Academy (NDA), too will have its own fuel.As a step towardsproducing its own diesel, the NDA has begun Jaltropha plantation on its campusand has started maintaining the already existing Karanja and Mahuva trees.Rohini Joshi, co-ordinator of NDA Nature''s Club, told TNN that theAcademy has already planted around 600 Jaltropha saplings near the gliderdrome(Air Force Training Team) at Khadakwasla. "We had planted around twokgs of seeds in contours of two metres apart on the slopes near the gliderdromein the rainy season and the plants have started growing. By next year we willhave a better yield of seeds and work on producing biodiesel, if not on largescale but as a pilot project," she said.Joshi said: "In recenttimes, increasing prices of petroleum products internationally and thewithdrawal of subsidies locally have made it possible for bio-fuels to competeon equal footing against fossil fuels. Hence there is an opportunity toreintroduce Jatropha as an agroforestry species, especially on degradedlands."She said that they got the idea from Pramod Keskar, a formerTata employee who worked on agro-forestry. "He provided us the seeds and theknow-how. Through Nature Club activities we planted the saplings and we intendpursuing the line of developing biodiesel."Explaining in layman''sterm how to make biodiesel, Joshi said: "The vegetable oil (either fromJaltropha, Karanja, Undi and Mahuva seeds) has to be mixed with alcohol andcaustic soda as catalyst and with esterification one can get biodiesel. InEuropean countries people use sunflower oil to make this alternative fuel, but twill be a costly proposition for India as we use sunflower oil for ediblepurposes." Biodiesel resembles diesel fuel and has high value ofdensity. It leaves less carbon and sulphur residues than the conventional fuel.Moreover, diesel fuel with biodiesel additives causes far lesspollution.About Jaltropha, she said: "Jatropha is a sturdy bushytype tree able to tolerate arid climates, rapidly growing and useful for avariety of products, Jatropha can yield up to two tons of biodiesel fuel peryear per hectare. Put another way, Jatropha can yield about 1,000 barrels of oilper year per square mile. It requires minimal inputs, stabilises or evenreverses desertification, and has use for a variety of products after thebiofuel is extracted."Apart from being a premier defence traininginstitute in the country, the NDA has already been declared a wild-lifesanctuary and perhaps in near future we might see their vehicles running onbiodiesel.