Minister of Scientist and Technology and Earth Sciences of India, Vilasrao Deshmukh presented a unique car that runs on biodiesel made from microalgae cultivated in marine environment. He showed the test run of a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) that was powered solely on the biofuel, giving rise to the possibility of an alternate fuel.
Scientists at Central Salt Marine and Chemical Research Institute (CSMCRI), Bhavnagar carried out preparation of the biodiesel from mats of microalgae that grows in the western coast of the country. These microscopic organisms are present naturally in marine as well as freshwater systems and are largely responsible for converting water and carbon dioxide into biomass and oxygen under sunlight.
This new development is the resultant product of a project commenced by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in April 2010. It falls under the ambit of New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) and was undertaken in association with the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
Before coming up with this fuel, scientists had carried out a test run of a passenger vehicle using a mixture of conventional fuel (80 per cent) and biodiesel (20 per cent). According to CSMCRI personnel, they recorded mileage of 12.4 kmpl, slightly higher than the average of 10-11 kmpl usually delivered by cars. Under another initiative of this project, they also conducted a 200 km test run of a conventional model on pure biodiesel using marine microalgae.
Talking about this, Deshmukh commented, "This development is very important for us as fossil fuels are depleting day by day." He also stated that he would make all necessary efforts in order to promote assessment of this fuel as a commercial product.
