Research on bio jet fuel set to take off soon
New Delhi   06-Feb-2010
<b>Part of Indo-Canada co-operation programme: India will soon start research on production of biofuels for the aviation industry.</b> The project's framework is expected to be ready in the 18 months. Trial production of bio jet fuel will begin in three years. Seven kilolitres will be produced on a pilot basis at the end of three years from about 21 tonnes of Jatropha. If successful, there could be a commercial production. The project is part of the Indo-Canada Science and Technology Cooperation Programme. “The Department of Science and Technology (DST) signed an agreement with Canada to undertake various science and technology projects. This project (biofuel for aviation) is one of them,” Dr. Naveen Vashisht, a scientist from the DST in-charge of the project, he told Business Line. <b>Agencies in play</b> DST will provide grants to academic institutions involved in the research while GITA (Global Innovation and Technology Alliance), an initiative of the CII and DST, will be the implementing agency. Canada's International Science and Technology Partnership is the sponsor. “The total cost of the project is about Rs 7.5 crore of which Rs 4 crore will be given by DST as grants to the Indian Institute of Petroleum, the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. IndianOil and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation will put in around Rs 3.5 crore,” said Mr. Anand Kumar, Director (Research and Development), IndianOil. To fast-track the project, an agreement between the Indian partners was signed in New Delhi on January 29. Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp and several Canadian research institutes are also partners in the project. The project, Mr. Kumar said, would kick off “anytime” and be in several stages. IndianOil, HPCL and IIP will develop the bio jet fuel. The characterisation and analysis will be done in the oil companies' R&D centres. <b>Lab work</b> IISc and IIT-Kanpur will do related work in their labs on the properties of the fuel, said Prof B. N. Raghunandan, Chairman, Aerospace Engineering, IISc. “We will examine spray, injection of fuel, combustion and other related areas (in an aircraft engine),” he said. Parallel developments will be carried out in Canada as well on different fuels. Canadian universities and other stakeholders will test material compatibility and perform other related analysis, said Mr. Kumar. The ultimate testing will then be done by Pratt & Whitney. The project will be coordinated by Infotech, which is the lead partner with the responsibility of coordination and compilation of test results meeting DST's requirements. “Infotech will seek grants for institutional partners in the project. It will also meet engineering requirements of the project and coordinate with Pratt & Whitney, Canada,” said Mr. Sujit Pant, Advisor, Aerospace, IEL. The International Air Transport Association has set itself a goal of 10 per cent of airline fuel to come from “alternative sources” by 2017. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Group, a global industry consortium, expects airlines to use 600 million gallons of biofuel a year by 2015.