Madhuca indica seeds: A Potential Source for Industrial Production of Biodiese

Abstract

The rapid urbanization due to fast industrialization and increase in population led high demand for energy. Due to increased demand for energy, an alternative source of energy has been explored by scientist in different country around the globe. India is a vast agro-forestry country, fuels of biological origin from non-edible agricultural products is an ideal alternative source of renewable energy. Various renewable feedstocks have been identified for production biodiesel which includes edible oils, nonedible oils, algal oils, wild oils, waste cooking oil and animal fats. Madhuca indica is forest based tree grows in dry land with minimal water. Its non-edible seeds contains high amount of fatty acids, thus it found to be a potential source for biodiesel production. Annual production of Madhuca indica seeds is about 60 million tons in India. Thus the dry and waste land can be reforested by Madhuca indica trees for increased production of its seeds and can be utilized for commercial production of biodiesel.