Biomass refers to all the matter that can be obtained from photosynthesis. Most vegetable species use solar energy to create sugars from carbon dioxide and water. They store this energy in the form of glucose or starch molecules, oleaginous, cellulose, and lignocellulose .Biomass appears to be an attractive feedstock for three main reasons. First, it is a renewable resource that could be sustain ably developed in the future. Second, it appears to have formidably positive environmental properties, notably the recycling of carbon in the biological processes, resulting in no net releases of carbon dioxide and a very low sulphur content. Third, it appears to have significant economic potential provided that fossil fuel prices increase, quite substantially, in the future.



1 INTRODUCTION



Plants absorb energy photosynthetically from the sun



producing natural (energy) products as a result.



Nevertheless, energy auditing of the production and use



of biomass should be continued in order to improve and



further understand where energy economies can be made.



Biomass as feedstock includes materials that can be



converted into various solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels



using biological and thermochemical conversion



processes. Four broad categories of potential biomass



feedstocks can be identified: (1) organic urban or



industrial wastes; (2) agricultural crop residues and



wastes including manure, straw, bagasse, and forestry



waste; (3) existing uncultivated vegetation including



stands of trees, shrubs, bracken, heather, and the like; and



(4) energy plantations, which involve planted energy



crops either on wastelands as has been done during our



previous investigations (1, 2) or on land brought into



production for that purpose, land diverted from other



agricultural production, or as catch crops planted on



productive land.



Due to the historically poor status of biomass-related



R&D, and its neglect on the part of planners and



development agencies, it has been very difficult to



change biomass energy systems in terms of their



production, harvesting, and energy conversion structures



to changing socioeconomic and environmental pressures.



Fortunately, this is now changing somewhat, so that there



is an opportunity to use biomass efficiently for the



production of modern energy carriers such as electricity



and liquid fuels and to improve the lack of efficiency



associated with traditional biomass fuels such as wood



and charcoal. Ideally a successful biomass program



should be sustainable and economical, taking into



account all costs and benefits, especially spillover and



indirect effects, including environmental and health



aspects. The focus of this article is, on effective



utilization of biomass at rural as well as urban level in



India which will improve, environmental concerns, save



foreign exchange, and improve socio economic status of



rural India.



2 SOURCES OF BIO-FUEL



Biomass can be used in solid or liquid forms. The solid



forms of biomass include direct burning of biomass



which is most common in rural India as well as burning



of cow dung for dung cakes which are also burnt directly



or mixed with coal to make round balls of dung and coal



powder.



Biofuels in their liquid form, can be classified as



follows:



Vegetable oils



Unmodified vegetable oils



Modified vegetable oils



Alcohols



Bioethanol



Biomethanol



Oxygenated components



2.1 Vegetable Oils



Pure vegetable oils, especially when refined and



deslimed, can be used in prechamber, indirect-injected



engines such as the Deutz model and in swirl-chamber



diesel engines such as the Ellsbett diesel model. They are



also usable when mixed with diesel fuels. Pure vegetable



oil, however, cannot be used in direct-injection diesel



engines, such as those regularly used in standard tractors,



since engine cooking occurs after



several hours of use. All engine types allow additions of



vegetable oils mixed with fuels in reduced and small



proportions, but residues and cooking negatively affect



short-term engine performance. Some vegetable oils also



find application as lubricants and as hydraulic oils. In



addition, they can be used in saw machines. In general



terms, it is possible to substitute mineral oils for



vegetable oils provided that appropriate additives



are included. Plant Sources for vegetable oils. Vegetable



oil can be obtained from more than 300 different plant



species. Oil is contained mainly in fruits and seeds, yet



still other origins exist. The highest oil yields can be



obtained from tree crops, such as palms, coconuts, and



olives, Jatropha Pongamia, Mahua, Salvadora, but there



are a number of field crops containing oils. Climatic and



soil conditions, oil content, yields and the feasibility of



farm operations, however, limit the potential use of



vegetable oils to a reduced number of crops. Apart from



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the previously mentioned semirefined oils, vegetable oils



can also be used in the esterificated form. Diesel engines



malfunction if an excess of carbon is present in the



combustion process. It becomes necessary to split the



glycerides causing an excess in the carbon composition.



This can be achieved by treating oil with alcohol



transesterification or by cracking procedures. Ideally,



transesterification is potentially a less expensive way of



transforming the large, branched molecular structure of



the bio-oils into smaller, straight-chain molecules of the



type required in regular diesel combustion engines. The



so called bio ldiesel fuels are oil esters of a biological



origin.



Rape oil methyl-ester (RME) and sunflower methyl-ester



(SME) are two biodiesels derived from their



corresponding oil seeds.

Jatropha curcas has great

potential for India as it can be grown on vast areas of



wastelands in the regions having rainfall above 35 mm



per annum.



2.2 Alcohols



Ethanol is a volatile liquid fuel that may be used to



replace refined petroleum. It can be obtained from



different feedstocks. Among them are cereals, sugarcane,



sugarbeet, and tubers as well as cellulose materials,



namely, wood and vegetable remnants, although



production in these cases is much more difficult.



Attention has been focused lately on other plants such as



Jerusalem artichokes, which contain inulin (a fructose



polymer), and on converting lignocellulosic materials



into glucose to obtain ethanol. The ethanol yield from



these products depends mainly on the content in



fermentable glucides and on per-hectare yields. Ethanol



from biomass can readily be used as a blender in



gasoline. To elaborate ethanol, the biomass feedstock is



first separtaed into its three main components: cellulose,



hemicellulose, and lignin. Cellulose is hydrolyzed into



sugars, mainly glucose, which are then easily fermented



into ethanol. Hemicellulose can also be converted into



sugars, such as xylose, but it is difficult to ferment to



produce alcohol. Lignin cannot be fermented, but it can



be used to provide energy for fermentation processes.



There is no chemical difference between ethanol derived



from biomass and fossil origin ethanol.



Another advantage of ethanol is that is can lower the



production of aromatic products found in high octane



gasolines. Ethanol is currently produced in two separate



ways: synthetic ethanol produced from ethylene derived



from hydrocarbon, which is preferred for industrial uses



due to the pureness attained (which can reach values of



99.9% in alcohol), and ethanol obtained from the



fermentation of plants rich in sugar or starch, a process



that is clearly advantageous when using gasoline as a



fuel.

Calotropis procera and Euphorbia antisyphilitica

have great potential as a source of biofuel from the



biomass residue obtained after extracting the



hydrocarbons with solvent extraction method.



Concerning methanol, although it can be produced from a



wide range of raw materials (namely, wood, dry biomass



in general, coal, etc.), at present, it is mainly obtained by



synthesis from natural gas or gasoline. The technology



for the production of methanol consists of “gasifying the



cellulosic raw material to obtain a synthesis gas followed



by the traditional processes used for fossil fuels whereby



the gas is purified and its composition is adjusted for the



synthesis of methanol”.



The final energy result is more positive when producing



methanol because ethanol is a high-cost, low-yield



product with problems derived from storage and effects



on soil. Also, methanol is less volatile, thereby less



dangerous in case of a traffic accident. Unexpected



combustion could be extinguished with water, it pollutes



less, it has no sulphur content, and it could be



transformed into a high octane gasoline that may be used



in countries not ready to employ engines that are fed



directly with methanol. That transformation implies a



cost, but it would not be excessive. However, the



problem with the production of methanol from biomass



remains the optimum size of the present manufacturing



units, which, having been designed for fossil fuels, are



not readily suitable for a very different raw material.



3 POLICIES THAT INFLUENCE BIOMASS USE



Obviously, the evolution of biofuel technologies depends



as much on economic opportunities and public policies as



on enhanced technological options. It is evident that



much of the advancement in technological capabilities in



India is supported by Department of Science and



Technology, Government of India under mission mode



projects supporting development of liquid fuel sources



from biomass.



Basically the biomass programme must have following



five components: 1) Energy R&D strategy, rational use



of energy, renewable energies, reduction of



environmental impacts of fossil fuels, and dissemination



of energy technologies. The energy strategy area includes



several sections ranging from global analysis of energy



R&D policy options to socioeconomic research in order



to understand those factors that foster or hinder the



innovation processes of energy technologies. Within this



strategy area, important studies on the future of biomass



energies, including liquid biofuels, are contemplated with



special emphasis on technology dissemination.



The rational use of energy area concerns energy



efficiency on the demand side of the energy sector. It



covers the reduction of energy consumption and



stimulating market penetration of innovative, efficient,



and clean technologies with a view to reducing



dependency on external supplies of energy products and



to improving the impact of the use of energy on the



environment. The area relative to renewable energies has



as its main objective to enable and stimulate the



introduction of renewable energies into the energy



system, which offer substantial advantages from an



environmental protection standpoint, CO

2 emissions, and

long-term security of energy supply. In addition, new



initiatives will be taken to enhance the integration of



renewable energies into the economy and society.



Included in this area are sections on the integration of



renewable technologies in social issues and research on



energies from biomass and waste.



4 FUTURE STRATEGIES



It includes multi sectoral and interdisciplinary activities



focusing on three main objectives: first, to strengthen the



scientific base needed to implement the EU’s



environmental policy and permit it to reconcile the



notions of human health and safety, environmental



protection, and the sustainable management of resources



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with development and economic growth; second, to



contribute to world programs of research into global



change; third, to contribute to the development of



environmental technologies, techniques, products, and



services that meet new needs and could contribute to



sustainable economic growth. A number of R&D



possibilities for systemic factors pertinent to the future



evolution of biofuels production and utilization can be



provided by developing effective renewable energy



programmes.



5 PROMOTION OF FORESTRY AND NON-FOOD



SECTOR



The program are the forestry and nonfood sectors of



agriculture and their links with the processing industries,



together with rural activities, the end-user, and the



consumer are very important for the renewable resource



development. Integrated production and processing



chains, and scaling-up and processing methodologies,



both dedicated principally to the nonfood sector and



especially to the use of plant raw materials for biomass



and bioenergy, such as timber, fibers, carbohydrates, oils,



proteins, and specialty chemicals contained in new and



traditional crops and trees are needed to be developed



intensively. . Included as the first section in the integrated



production and processing area are the chains. In



addition, the scaling-up processing methodologies refer



to biomass energy as well. Additional objectives are to



address the problems associated with the transfer of basic



or applied research and technology from the laboratory



level to the development steps of industrial scale.



Obviously, as underscored previously, this is of great



relevance for the future development of liquid fuels



derived from biological sources due to the fact that the



transfer step is normally characterized by major problems



and bottlenecks, such as a lack of homogeneity and



quality in the raw material supply and a lack of



understanding of the basic physical and chemical



characteristics and relationships of the biomaterials being



processed and produced. Problems such as



fluiddynamics, product recovery, heat transfer,



flocculation, and so on are common when applied and



basic research models are scaled up in the development



or pilot-scale phase of R&D.



6 EU AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES



Potential import demand of the EU for biofuels produced



in developing coutries like Tanzania, Nigeria Nicaragua



and India etc will be influenced very strongly by future



developments in concerned public policies.



To ensure further uses of biomass fuels and to exploit



fully their projected potential, a coordinated



multisectoral approach has been advocated. This should



provide an effective assessment of the interactions among



policies related to agriculture, energy, transport, and the



environment and, it is hoped, will avoid contradictory



measures.



7 BIOMASS HAS POTENTIAL TO MEET ENERGY



CRISIS



The rise of world oil prices due to the 1973 and 1979 oil



crises stimulated the formulation and implementation of



new energy policies, so that new renewable energy



sources became attractive alternative fuels. The current



priority axes of the EU energy policy are and the same



could be adapted for India:



• to improve energy efficiency



• to secure energy supplies



• to protect the environment



• to push technological innovation



• to guarantee economic and social cohesion, and



• to develop international cooperation



These goals are similar to the ones set out by the



European Energy Charter : a pan-European forum, whose



goal was ‘‘to improve security of energy supply and to



maximize the efficiency of production, conversion,



transport, distribution and use of energy, to enhance



safety and to minimize environmental problems on an



acceptable economic basis.”



Security of energy supplies results not only from a



greater independence from foreign sources but also from



the replacement of gasoline by other kinds of energy as a



way to secure improved price stability and protection



from fluctuation of international energy shocks.



Diversification of energy sources and a higher percentage



of locally produced energy are goals that can be satisfied



by biofuels.



8 BIOMASS THE INEXHAUSTIBLE RESOURCE



The inexhaustible nature of biofuels as an energy source



is also an important asset for their future potential from



the security standpoint. In contrast to fossil fuels, their



social acceptance will probably increase in the future



provided that some negative



possible impacts on the environment are avoided or



carefully kept under control.



9 REDUCTION IN CO2 EMISSIONS



One of the major themes concerning environment and



energy is the proposed directive of EU that establishes a



carbon tax on fossil oils in order to keep CO2 emissions



levels down. The final goal would be to maintain CO

2

atmospheric emissions in the year 2000 at the 1990 level,



CO

2 being the main cause of the greenhouse effect.

Nevertheless, introduction of this regulation is facing



strong constraints since the EU’s competitiveness might



be reduced if similar steps are not taken by other Western



economies such as the USA and Japan (the USA has also



demonstrated a willingness to reduce its carbon dioxide



emissions from the use of fossil fuels).



The ALTENER program , which is the main initiative of



the EU to support renewable energy, sets three objectives



for renewable energy sources in Europe by 2005:



• increase the renewable energies market share from 4%



to 8% of EU primary energy needs;



• triple the production of renewable energy, excluding



large hydro schemes; • and secure a biofuels share of 5%



of total fuel consumption by motor vehicles.



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Nonetheless, even when considering optimistic



penetration rates such as the one quoted, biofuels cannot



solve the security supply problem, since fossil fuels will



continue to be the main energy source. Typical



ALTENER projects deal with breaking down barriers or



establishing new legal, administrative, organizational,



economic, or managerial systems.



10 DEVELOPMENT OF AGROTECHNOLOGY



A reduction in crop price predicted in accordance with



the long-term goal of meeting world prices implies a



decrease in crop costs that will surely improve bio fuel



competitiveness.



11 WASTELAND UTILIZATION FOR BIOFUEL



PRODUCTION



In contrast to the European countries where set aside land



is used for biomass production the developing countries



have over millions of ha of wasteland which could be



effectively utilizd for cultivation of Energy crops. The



cultivation of biofuels could help rural and retarded



economies in two ways:



• The represent one additional possibility for the



utilization of farm resources, with the end result of



raising income and direct employment on the farm.



• The manufacturing and commercialization of fuel crops



need to be based on the rural communities and must



supplement their income.



Cultivating crops for energy use on wastelands provides



an opportunity to increase the demand for agricultural



commodities. This new income will surely improve the



material welfare of rural communities and might result in



a further activation of the local economy. In the end, this



will mean a reduction in emigration rates to urban



environments, also and help in environment protection.



12 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY



Although European Commission has emphasized the,



need for change is discussed in terms of ‘‘sustainable’’



development, but there is little agreement on the concept



and on operating procedures and criteria. Appropriate



management is required on a global scale, which means



on national, regional, and community bases.



Since biofuels are crop based, soil depletion, effluents,



pesticide, and fertilizer consumption are also aspects to



be considered in any environmental assessment.



Cultivated feedstocks for biofuels share with agricultural



production a variety of shortcomings, usually criticized



by environmentalists. These include soil erosion,



occupational hazards, loss of ecosystems, excessive



fertilizer and pesticide use, monoculture production, and



the deterioration of landscapes. If biomass energy is used



instead of fossil fuels, however, there is normally a net



reduction in CO2 emissions. The extent of this reduction



depends on the fossil fuel displaced and the efficiency



with which the biomass energy can be produced, which



can be measured in terms of energy balances. A reduction



of 180 million tons in carbon emissions by the year 2005



could be achieved with a biofuels market penetration of



5% of the total consumption in combustion engines.



Sulphur dioxide is a major pollutant causing extensive



damage to forests, buildings, health, and so on.



Fortunately, SO2 emissions from using biomass energy



tend to be considerably lower because relevant plants and



trees contain only trace quantities of sulphur compared to



much higher emissions from coal, gasoline, and even



some natural gas. This drop in SO2 is accompanied by a



fall in the level of the other traditional motor pollutant



emissions such as carbon monoxide, unburned



hydrocarbons, and particulates, but these reductions are



less easily quantifiable. However, there is an increase in



the release of nitrogen oxides and aldehydes. There is no



clear advantage to any one of the liquid biofuels, and



choices between them will depend on local priorities. If



the aim is to move to lower intensity forms of land use,



wood production is likely to have significant advantages.



If emission abatement per hectare is a priority goal, the



liquid fuel with the greatest potential is ethanol from



sugar beets.



13 CONCLUSION



It may be concluded that biofuels may be able to



contribute to the attainment of a variety of environmental



objectives such as the aim of reducing both local air



pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and the



environmental concerns of maintaining agricultural land



in production with a possible move to lower intensity



production of crops. From an environmental point of viw,



however, blended fuels consist primarily of gasoline or



diesel fuel, which limits the potential benefits in both



emission control and efficiency .



REFERENCES



(1) Kumar, A and A. Tewari, 2004.



Improving the Biofuel Utilization Efficiency in the Rural



Villages by Modifying the Fire Stove ‘Chulha’.



Proceedings of the 2

nd World Biomass Conference -

Biomass for Energy, Industry and Climate Protection,



Vol II, 2544-2547.



(2) Kumar, A and A. Kotiya, 2004.



Some Potential Plants for Bio-energy. Proceedings of the



2

nd World Biomass Conference - Biomass for Energy,

Industry and Climate Protection, Vol I, 180-183.



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