India looks to cashew, sardine oil for new biofuels feedstocks

November 22, 2010 |

In India, Y B Ramakrishna, State Taskforce on Biofuel Chairman talked to reporters in Mangalore regarding several programs for agricultural waste to biofuels.  Ramakrishna stated, “It is learnt that the coastal districts have in abundance sardine fishes, cashew apples and jackfruits, which are rich source of bio ethanol.

Approximately 40,000 tonnes of cashew apples rot wasted in the region per year, which can very well be used for producing 15 to 16,000 ton of bio ethanol. There are plans to use waste of Campco to produce biofuel.”  Ramakrishna noted that anywhere from 50,000 to 70,000 tons of sardine oil is being exported to Europe, where Omega III is extracted, and the waste oil is then processed into bio-diesel.

Reminiscent of Ghandi on the subjects of homespun cloth and salt, Ramakrishna stated, ” Efforts are being made to see to it that the entire process is done by us so that we become energy efficient.”  Programs for cultivating biofuel crops on marginal forest and non forest government land are being examined, with 6,000 hectares planted in 2009-2010, with another 25,000 hectares earmarked for 2010-2011.

More on the story.

Category: Fuels

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