For Biofuel definition , types and their different generations visit https://fotisedu.com/biofuel-types-and-generations/

What are the advantages of biofuels?

The various advantages of biofuels are:

■ Biofuels replenish over time, whereas fossil fuels are non-renewable and will eventually run out. By being renewable, they are a type of fuel that could potentially support sustainable development by promoting the use of renewable energy and reducing our impact on the environment.

■ The production and use of biofuels generates significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than the production and use of highly polluting fossil fuels.

■ Biofuels are considered carbon neutral because the carbon dioxide emitted when they are burned is offset by the carbon dioxide that was absorbed by the plants during photosynthesis.

■ The burning of biofuels generates fewer air pollutants than the burning of fossil fuels, which can improve air quality and public health.

■ In many cases, biofuels can be produced from locally available resources.

■ The production, distribution, and use of biofuels can create jobs in a variety of sectors that will support the production and use of this sustainable alternative.

■ The transition to biofuels will have a positive impact on sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, reprocessing, recycling, and transportation.

■ As an alternative source of energy obtained from renewable and biological material, these fuels can be produced using waste materials.

■ The use of biofuels improves energy security of individual countries by diversifying the energy mix and reducing reliance of countries on a single energy source.

■ When done right and well-regulated, the production of biofuels has potential to actually support local biodiversity by promoting the growth of crops that are providing support to soils and leave soils less prone to erosion.

What are the limitations of Biofuel?

Individuals concerned about energy security and carbon dioxide emissions see biofuels as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. However, biofuels also have shortcomings:

■ It takes more ethanol than gasoline to produce the same amount of energy, and critics contend that ethanol use is extremely wasteful because the production of ethanol actually creates a net energy loss while also increasing food prices.

■ Biofuel production can also lead to changes in land use patterns, as farmers may shift from growing food crops to biofuel crops in order to take advantage of government incentives or higher prices for biofuel crops. This can lead to food insecurity in local communities and increase in food prices.

■ Biofuels have also become a point of contention for conservation groups, who argue that bio-crops would go to better use as a source of food rather than fuel.

■ Biofuels can require significant amounts of water for irrigation and processing, which can lead to water depletion.

■ Specific concerns center around the use of large amounts of arable land that are required to produce bio-crops, leading to problems such as soil erosion, deforestation, fertilizer run-off, and salinity.

■ It can also lead to higher food prices and competition with other industries for resources.

■ The production of biofuels can be more expensive than the production of fossil fuels due to the costs of growing and processing the feedstocks.

■ Biofuels generally have a lower energy density per unit of mass than fossil fuels such as gasoline or diesel. This means that more biofuel is required to produce the same amount of energy as a smaller amount of fossil fuel.

■ At the moment, biofuels are not compatible with all types of vehicles and equipment.

Algae as an Alternative

To help mitigate the problem of large arable land use, companies are turning to water-based solutions in the form of algae production. Algae can be cultivated on land unsuitable for other purposes with water that can’t be used for food production.

In addition to using non-arable land and not requiring the use of freshwater, algae could potentially yield greater volumes of biofuels per acre than other sources. The other advantage to using algae over other bio-sources is that it can be used to manufacture biofuels similar in composition to today’s transportation fuels. This would go a long way to replacing the conventional fossil fuels of gasoline and diesel.

What are the various initiatives taken by Government of India to promote the use of Biofuels?

Considering the prospective benefits of boosting the biofuel industry in India, the Indian government has introduced various policies and schemes since 2001 when India piloted 5 per cent Ethanol Blending (E5) Program.

In 2003, the National Biodiesel Mission was formulated to achieve 20 per cent biodiesel blends by 2011-2012.

In 2009, the National Policy on Biofuels was launched that proposed a non-mandatory target of 20% blending for both biodiesel and bioethanol by 2017. However, with all the initiatives and targets in place, the bioethanol blending in India remained at just over 4% by Ethanol Supply Year 2017-18.

In 2018, the National Policy on Biofuels 2018 was launched with a revised target of 20% bioethanol blending by 2030 (now advanced to 2025-26) and 5% biodiesel blending by the year 2030.

Other major programs launched by the government to support the development of biofuels in India include the SATAT scheme for boosting Compressed Biogas (CBG) production in India, Viable Gap Funding (VGF) for 2G bioethanol under Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana, and grants for research and development in the bioenergy area.

These policies are focused on promoting the various categories of biofuels by offering the required financial support, establishing the feedstock supply chain, encouraging research and innovation in the biofuel production technologies for existing and new feedstocks and promote wider exploration of
domestically available feedstocks given India’s tremendous biodiversity.

What are the key challenges plaguing the Biofuel industry’s growth in India?

Despite having the new policies and mandates in place, the average level of bioethanol blending in India has reached 10% with a long path to cover against the target of 20% by 2025-26 and the average level of biodiesel blending has reached 0.10% against the target of 5% by 2030.

The key challenges plaguing the industry’s growth include the inefficient feedstock supply chain including feedstock collection, aggregation, transportation and storage, high production cost due to nascent technology pathways, lack of financial viability.

What measures can be taken by the Government to boost the Biofuel production?

Some of the measures that can be considered by the Government are mentioned below:

■ Incentivization of farmers, tribal communities and other local feedstock aggregators is imperative to establish a seamless supply chain for biofuels.

■ Further, government should exempt tax levy on the income earned by the feedstock aggregators on supplying feedstocks to the project developers.

■ Government should increase spending on R&D facilities and provide tax breaks for companies investing in R&D.

■ The government should consider allocating budget to implement measures to promote wasteland for cultivation of energy crops and to organise training sessions to impart technical skills among farmers for scientific cultivation of energy crops.

■ The government should consider increasing the budgetary allocation under the Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana and include more biofuel projects within its ambit.

■ The government should consider including biofuel projects under the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) scheme.

■ Government should include biofuels under Priority Sector Lending to enable better credit penetration.