Bio-derived fuels find favor with Indian scientists
Bio-derived fuels which is increasingly being considered globally as the alternative for fossil fuels to reduce carbon emission has caught the attention of Indian scientific community as well.
Dr Kishalay Mitra and Kapil Gumte, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad are using computational methods to understand more about incorporating biofuels into the fuel sector in India.
A unique aspect of their research is that they are considering revenue generation not only as an outcome of sales of the biofuel but also in terms of carbon credits via greenhouse gas emission savings throughout the project lifecycle.
Dr Mitra believes biofuels generated from non-food sources including agricultural waste products such as straw, hay and wood is the best source of carbon-neutral renewable energy in India. The research team is using machine learning techniques to understand the supply chain network according to Gumte. Dr Mitra added that the use of machine learning techniques have helped them capture the uncertainty in forecasting demands and other supply chain parameters. Their research paper has been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.