look news india
The government was planning to use ethanol to meet its target of five per cent biodiesel blending in diesel sales by 2023.
But volatility in ethanol production volumes has forced it to shelve the plan. Instead, the government now plans to extend the used cooking oil scheme implemented in 2019. That is, now the government will opt for used cooking oil instead of ethanol to achieve this goal.
Biodiesel, widely used in Europe, traditionally refers to biodegradable produced from vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled restaurant grease. There are undoubtedly several barriers to widespread use in India due to the range of feedstocks notified for biodiesel production. These include non-edible oilseeds, animal fats, acid oils and most importantly used cooking oil (UCO).
The petroleum ministry told the Lok Sabha that biodiesel blending in diesel was less than 0.1 per cent in August 2021. Even though over 98 crore litres of biodiesel has been procured by oil marketing companies for blending with diesel since 2015-16, the proportion of biodiesel blending in diesel is projected to reach a meagre 0.8 per cent by the end of 2023-24.
The share of used cooking oil in biodiesel is 35 percent
Ethanol blending for diesel is hampered due to irregular supply of ethanol and high demand for petrol.
Due to shortage of traditional biodiesel feedstock, government turns to ethanol
Oil marketing companies may expand to 200 locations to source used cooking oil
India to produce 20 crore liters of biodiesel in 2023
35% of biodiesel is made from used cooking oil
