World Biofuel Day

Tags: Important Days

World Biofuel Day is celebrated every year on 10 August to highlight the importance of biofuels.

• Theme of 2022 - ‘Biofuels for Sustainability and Rural Income’.

Background of the day

• August 10 was chosen as World Biofuel Day because it was on this day in 1893 that the German scientist Sir Rudolf Diesel successfully ran his diesel engine on groundnut oil.

• This was a pioneering discovery as it created a safe, renewable and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.

• In India, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change started celebrating World Biofuel Day, from 2015.

What are Biofuels?

• Any hydrocarbon fuel that is obtained and produced from an organic material is called a biofuel.

• It can be in solid, liquid or gaseous form.

• Biofuels are produced from animal waste, algae, and industrial and agricultural waste. 

• They are eco-friendly, sustainable, renewable and biodegradable.

Types of Biofuel 

• Bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas are the three types of biofuels used in India.

• Bioethanol is made from sugar and starchy crops and surplus agricultural waste and biomass.

• Biodiesel is produced from various types of vegetable oil and agricultural waste and biomass waste from forests.

• Biogas is produced through anaerobic digestion of biomass waste and animal waste.

Significance of the day

• The day is a platform for the Indian government to raise awareness about non-fossil fuels.

• The day commemorates the activities of the government in developing and strengthening the biofuel sector in the country.

• The Petroleum Ministry allows blending of biodiesel made from cooking oil with diesel, while ethanol to be blended with petrol.

• Biodiesel was initially produced from imported palm oil, but the use of cooking oil as a raw material was promoted to reduce costs.

• The Ministry of Petroleum announced on June 5 this year that India had achieved the target of blending 10 percent ethanol with petrol.

• The central government has claimed that there has been a reduction in carbon emissions by 27 lakh tonnes.