Table of Contents
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
- Indian Air Force (IAF), the Russian-made AN-32 transport aircraft, has gone green.
- Antonov An-32
- Indian Air Force: Bought 125 aircraft, 105 are still in service.
ANTONOV AN-32
GO GREEN!
- The Russian-made AN-32 transport aircraft, has gone green.
- The fleet of AN-32 was formally certified to fly on a blended bio-jet fuel, which will be 10 per cent tree-derived and 90 per cent conventional aviation fuel.
NOTES
- This is a huge step in promoting the ‘Make in India’ mission as this bio-fuel would be produced from Tree Borne Oils (TBOs) sourced from tribal areas and farmers, augmenting their income substantially
- The shift is also meant to curb India’s dependence on crude imports, besides reducing the IAF’s carbon footprint.
Bio Fuels (contd.)
- When mixed with conventional fuel, they decrease the amount of harmful emissions
- Govt. Of India has started Ethanol Blending Program (EBP)
- 4 th Generation biofuels are made from Genetically Engineered crops and algae which would yield less stress on food crops and commercial crops
TREE BORNE OILS
- Bio-fuels are renewable liquid fuels extracted from biological raw material and have proven to be good substitutes for oil in the energy sector.
- As oil from the food crops like corn, sweet sorghum, soybean, etc., cannot be diverted for biodiesel in India, the concentration of alternate biofuel source is on non-edible oils obtained from seeds of tree species, some of which were being traditionally used as fuel source in rural areas. Tree Borne Oilseeds (TBOs) are cultivated/grown in the country under different agro-climatic conditions in a scattered form in forest and non-forest areas as well as in waste land /deserts/hilly areas.
TREE BORNE OILS
MAHUA
OTHER NATIONS