Biofuels attained greater prominence in recent days as the world has been considering switching to environment-friendly and sustainable fuels for the energy transition in every sphere. Every year World Bio-fuels Day is observed on 10 August with the goal of increasing awareness and promoting the consumption of biofuels for a brighter future

Any fuel created from biomass, often known as organic matter, is referred to as biofuel. This contains any kind of plant or algal matter, even wood, in addition to animal feces. These fuels are regarded as energy sources that are renewable since the life cycle continually refills them organically.

The German scientist Sir Rudolf Diesel is honored on this day. It was on this date in 1893 that he successfully ran a mechanical engine using peanut oil, making him the inventor of biofuel. He also foresaw the day when vegetable oil would eventually replace fossil fuels, and it appears that day has come.

This day in India was established by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in an effort to lessen the nation’s reliance on crude oil as a source of energy. The first World Biofuel Day was held on August 10, 2015, and in 2023, we will celebrate its ninth anniversary.

The purpose of the day was to raise awareness of the benefits of using biofuels and other non-fossil fuels. It also calls for a shift toward biofuels for a greater good and the possibility of energy independence for most nations, particularly those that currently rely on foreign energy sources.

In addition, increased demand for biofuel, assist the farmers in making some additional cash since it also helps to generate additional income in rural areas.

In India, there are currently over 3,300 companies involved in the renewable energy industry, many of which are also engaged in the green fuel industry to lower carbon emissions. One of them like the Hyderabad Bowenpally vegetable market uses vegetable waste to create electricity and biogas – Waste recycling to its best use.

These firms are working on waste utilisation, novel biofuel production technologies, and battery composition advances, among other things. They are attempting to increase the amount of clean fuel throughout the nation.

Top five biofuel startups in the country

Aloe Ecell

Aloe Ecell is a startup established by Nimisha Varma from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The startup is examining the success rate of aloe vera in making biofuel. The team developed its initial eco-friendly battery prototype in 2019. The world’s first wholly eco-friendly & non-hazardous batteries were made by Aloe Ecell using ALOE VERA.

The herbal electrolyte has been used in place of the batteries. Aloe Ecell has finished the second pilot with over 1,500 consumers and is prepared to bring the product to the market soon. The company has been also working to offer environmentally friendly rechargeable batteries.

Aloe Ecell batteries are more durable than conventional batteries and offer steady voltage thanks to their high activity level. With advancements in engineering, technology, and materials, a whole new internal structure has been created that offers improved ion exchange, strength, durability, and leak protection. They guarantee clean energy for a better battery world with non-toxic, biodegradable electrolyte using a cheap and easily accessible raw material, Aloe vera.

GPS Renewables

GPS Renewables is a Bengaluru-based startup that aims to reduce the risks associated with traditional fuel. GPS Renewables started off with a captive biogas product called the ‘BioUrja’. It is credited for popularizing biogas production from food waste and its use as an alternative to LPG for cooking.

They conducted a novel experiment using biogas to charge EVs in order to meet the rising demand for electric vehicle charging stations. It has recently set up an EV charging point in Mumbai that use waste-derived biogas as its fuel. In more than 100 public and private organizations nationwide.

The business partnered with the municipality body to collect organic food wastes and turn them into biogas, which was then used to charge EVs. It is positioning itself as the go-to project integrator in the bioenergy space, covering BioCNG, Bioethanol and Green Hydrogen.

GPS Renewables has 100+ BioUrja installations across South Asia, with Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, Intel, Bosch, Cummins, Saint Gobain, Reliance, and several other leading hospitality chains such as Oberoi, Taj, ITC, Marriott, Hyatt and Accor Groups as clients.

Jap Innogy

JAP, based in Chandigarh and formed by D.S. Mahal, worldwide energy, natural resource, and biofuel industry veteran with more than 3 decades of experience, is attempting to grab carbon dioxide. When cellulosic ethanol refineries use enzymatic processing of the biomass, carbon dioxide is a substantial by-product. They are prepared to use this byproduct as “Renewable-Carbon Dioxide or BioCO2.

They will collect carbon dioxide, clean it, and turn it into a liquid or gaseous form in accordance with food grade requirements, which entails a 99.99% purity level. To date, all carbonated beverages have been made with chemical carbon dioxide; however, by using renewable carbon dioxide, drink producers may proudly display the “Renewable-CO2/BioCO2” symbol on their packaging, which greatly enhances their brand’s reputation as being ecologically friendly.

JAP is advancing social progress, economic success, and environmental improvement by combining skills, knowledge, and abilities to produce sustainable value for all parties involved in the form of humans & Planet. Their goal is to develop Radiant life for the current and future generations of humans.

Buyofuel

a one-stop shop for all energy-generating garbage and biofuel was established in May 2020 by Venkateswaran Selvan, Krishna Karunakaran Prasad P Nair, and Sumanth Kumar. On a single platform, it links raw material aggregators, producers of biofuel, consumers of fuel, and producers of garbage.

Since then, the business has sold around 23,000 tonnes of biofuel. It sold 10,000 tonnes in April 2022, which was a record, and 7,000 tonnes in the three months that ended in March 2022. Buyofuel is a one-stop solution for all and everything of biofuel.

Sea6 Energy

Headquartered in Bangalore, Sea6 was founded in 2010 to develop innovative solutions to key global problems. Over the last decade, it has become a pioneer of innovative technologies for sustainable, large-scale and mechanized farming of sea-plants and the conversion of this sea-plant biomass to novel products.

Sea6 Energy has developed a novel extract from seaweed that can be used for agriculture and is exporting it all over the world.

The technical feasibility of converting seaweed to biofuel has been demonstrated and has been scientifically published by IIT-Madras.

Seaweeds have a short growth cycle of six weeks, so they can be planted every day and harvested after six weeks. The company is expecting a reduction in seaweed prices to a point where biodegradable plastic produced from seaweed becomes a reality by 2025.

The Indian government has emphasized on achieving energy security of the country with a target of reducing import dependence i.e. usage of fossil fuels. The growing concern about the import dependence for fuel requirement in tandem with environmental pollution issues have driven the need for alternative fuels that have superior environmental benefits and are economically competitive with fossil fuel. This envisages a strategic role for biofuels in the Indian Energy basket.

Tags: Aloe Ecell, Biofuels, Buyouel, Sea6 Energy, Startups