IIT Guwahati researchers use non-edible waste seeds to produce biofuel

This will eliminate the competition between food and fuel

A team of researchers led by Dr Kaustubha Mohanty, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati have devised a method to produce biofuel from non-edible waste seeds.

In the USA and Europe surplus edible oils like soybean oil and sunflower oil are being used for the production of biodiesel in a bid to overcome future oil shortages in the world.

However, the conversion of food resources to fuel compromises the global supply-demand of food, especially in developing countries with existing nutritional deficiencies.

“Oils derived from non-edible seeds of plants can be used to produce biofuels, to eliminate the competition between food and fuel”, said Dr Mohanty. Plants and trees found in India, such as peela kaner, mahua, gulmohar, neem, rain tree, castor, kusum etc., produce seeds that have oil from which biofuels can be made.

Dr Mohanty and his research team used a heat-chemical route to produce biofuels from these and other such seeds that they had collected from various parts of the country.