Sunday, Jul 04, 2004
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Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Tamil Nadu
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Tiruchi
By Our Staff Reporter
TIRUCHI, JULY 3 . Two progressive entrepreneurs from Tiruchi, along with two promoters from Sivakasi, will soon set up a bio-diesel manufacturing unit at Vembakottai near Sivakasi under the New Anna Marumalarchi Thittam (NAMT). The unit is to be established following the successful technology demonstration on the production of bio-diesel from non-edible vegetable oils through a pilot plant established at a cost of Rs.2 lakhs at Vembakottai. Christened as FAME (fatty acid methyl esters), the bio-diesel was produced in the pilot plant by processing rubber, neem, karanja ("pungai") and mohwa ("illuppai") seeds. The bio-diesel is produced by converting the vegetable oils into methyl esters, by subjecting them to esterification and trans-esterification. "It is a misconception that bio-diesel could be produced only from jatropha. We have proved that other non-edible seeds could also be used for the purpose," said S. Lakshmi Narayanan, Managing Director, and M. I. Samy, Director of Fabrichem Pvt. Ltd., Tiruchi, who along with two promoters from Sivakasi, R. Umakanth and R. Vijayakanth of Sivakasi, have now ventured to set up a full-scale unit with a capacity of 5,000 to 10,000 litres per day (depending on the oil content of the seeds used) at a cost of Rs.1.80 crores. Of the four oil seeds, neem has the least oil content with 16 per cent, while the others had 35 to 45 per cent oil content, he said. The bio-diesel has been successfully tested on diesel engines, tractors and power-tillers. The pilot plant was set up at the village early this year with a capacity of five litres per day. Unlike other similar products, the bio-diesel manufactured at the plant could be used directly without blending with mineral diesel, Mr.Lakshmi Narayanan told The Hindu . The project has already been cleared under the NAMT and the promoters are awaiting final sanctions from the financial institutions. Commercial production of the bio-diesel is likely to go on stream from November this year. The unit would source the "abundantly available" raw material through self-help groups, village forest management committees and rural youth, providing them gainful employment and encouraging productive use of wastelands. The bio-diesel is said to be "eco-friendly" as emissions are low. With less particulate matter, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide emissions are also less. Besides, the fuel efficiency of FAME was also found 25 per cent higher than mineral diesel as combustion is complete, he claimed. Spectrum analysis test conducted through a private agency has indicated that the density of the bio-diesel was almost the same as mineral diesel at 0.875. The fuel is likely to be subjected to be further tests and approval by the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun, before being marketed. The price of the bio-diesel would also be competitive with that of mineral diesel. The Southern Railway is already said to have evinced interest in lifting the bio-diesel produced from the unit. The entrepreneurs are also exploring the feasibility of marketing the fuel among the State Transport Corporations.
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