Energy

    The alcoholic extract of the latex obtained from Calotropis procera (Asclepidaceae) was evaluated for protection against isoproterenol (20 mg/100g body wt., s.c.)-induced myocardial infarction in albino rats. The heart damage induced by isoproterenol was indicated by elevated levels of the marker enzymes such as Creatine Kinase-isoenzyme (CK-MB), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Serum Glutamate Oxaloacetic Transaminase (SGOT) and Serum Glutamate Pyruvate Transaminase (SGPT) in serum with increased lipid peroxide and reduced glutathione content in heart homogenates. Microscopical…

Jatropha curcus a source  of Biofuel in developing countries     General introduction Jatropha is bush that grows in the warm regions of the world as it is sensitive to colder climates. Once it’s planted it grows and produces nuts that contain oil within a few years, and produces these annually for up to 50 years. Climate requirement for the plant is as altitude: 0-500 meters above sea level. mild-annual temperature: 20-28 °C.annual rainfall: 300-1000 mm., or more.  Jatropha has been grown in developing countries for many years it’s been used locally for production of…

A new method for 'recycling' hydrogen-containing fuel materials could open the door to economically viable hydrogen-based vehicles, according to research in an article appearing today in Angewandte Chemie. Hydrogen has long been considered an ideal fuel for transportation; it is abundant and can be used to run a fuel cell, which is much more efficient than internal combustion engines, and that also eliminates the formation of gaseous byproducts that are detrimental to the environment. For use in transportation, a fuel ideally should be lightweight to maintain overall fuel efficiency and pack…

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction is one of the most important environmental challenges for the next decades. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important greenhouse gas, representing approximately three-quarters of the total GHG emissions. Biomass strategies pose an important option for CO2 emission reduction since CO2 is fixed during the biomass growth stage. Biomass can subsequently be used as a renewable resource, with zero net CO2 emissions. This is the basis for all biomass strategies (i.e. groups of activities with similar characteristics, concerning agriculture and forestry and…

Biomass currently supplies about a third of the developing countries’ energy varying from about 90% in countries like Uganda, Rawanda and Tanzania, to 45 percent in India, 30 percent in China and Brazil and 10-15 percent in Mexico and South Africa. The crucial questions are whether the two billion or more people who are now dependent on biomass for energy will increase. The fact that 90 percent of the worlds population will reside in developing countries by about 2050 probably implies that biomass energy will e with us forever. Planting of more trees in forest reserves for reducing global…

Ashwani Kumar A 50 ha bioenergy plantation demonstration project centre has been established in the campus of the University of Rajasthan to conduct the experiments on large scale cultivation of selected plants with the objective of developing optimal conditions for their growth and productivity, besides conserving the biodiversity. Considerable work has been carried out on these plants   2.2 Certain potential plants were selected and attempts were made to develop agrotechnology for their large scale cultivation [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. The potential plants could be characterized under…

The state of Rajasthan is situated between 23°3’N and 30°12’ N latitude and 69°30’ and  78°17’  E longitude. The total land area of the state is about 3,42,239 km2, out of which about 1,96,150 km2  is arid and rest is semi-arid. This arid and semi-arid wasteland of is rich in biodiversity. During present investigation studies were conducted on characterization of bio-energy resources in the semi arid region of Rajasthan. 230 plants species were characterized and out of them 60 plant species were selected for dry matter production, 11 plants were characterized for non-edible oil…

Calotropis procera is a potential plant for bioenergy and biofuel production in semi arid regions of the country. At the global level, according to recent estimates by FAO the annual tropical deforestation rate for the decade 1981 to 1990 was about 15.4 million ha (Mha).  According to the latest data published in 1994 for the assessment period 1989-1991, the total area under forests is 64.01 Mha accounting for 19.5 percent of India's geographic area. The fact that nearly 90 percent of the worlds population will reside in developing countries by 2050 probably implies that biomass energy…

Indian arid zone occupies an area of about 0.3 million sq. km.  90 percent of which about 2,70,000 sq. km. is confined to north west Indian covering most of Western Rajasthan, part of Gujarat and small portions of Punjab and Haryana.  India has over 180 million of wasteland out of which 90 million ha is uncultivable. The degraded and denuded lands arise due to soil erosions as well as secondary salinizations. However Calotropis procera is a potential plant for bioenergy and biofuel production in semi arid regions of the country because it is able to grow on such lands. The plant has…

India is divided into several agroclimatic zones which differs in environmental, nutritional and edaphic conditions affecting plant growth and productivity. The Calotropis procera and Calotropis gigantea prefers their distribution and growth pattern in India. Detailed studies were carried out in different parts of the country to elucidate the influence of agroclimatic conditions on growth and productivity of C. procera and C. gigantea. The growth and productivity of C. procera is positively influenced by the condition of Jaisalmer with temperature 0-50°C and with low rainfall 5-10 ml/annum.…