An assessment of biodiesel feedstock conversion efficiency: a case study of decentralised biofuel production program in rural India

In response to a national ambitious biofuel policy, the Indian state of Karnataka launched a feedstock development program on the principles of decentralisation, sustainability, and multiple fuel sources. A network of farmers oilseed associations are being formed in order to encourage farmers to grow, pool and process a large number of small-scale oilseed productions. Success of such program depends on the conversion efficiencies of the feedstock at multiple stages and value added by-products. This study focuses on one of the program crops, Simarouba glauca, as a test case. The conversion efficiency of the village-level, decentralised production model was assessed and compared with the theoretical biodiesel production efficiency. The study indicated that the field-level feedstock conversion efficiency was less than that of the lab-scale set up. However, the fuel qualities of the Simarouba glauca biodiesel were found to be of standards required for fuel designation. The study shows that there is a signific...