IOC achieves breakthrough in use of non-edible oil

State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) on Monday said it has developed technology that will help advance the use of non-edible oil extracted from plants like jatropha (bio-diesel) in auto fuels.

"IOC has successfully developed and commercialised a technology to co-process non-edible vegetable oil in the existing Diesel Hydrotreating (DHDT) units of a petroleum refinery to make bio-diesel," the company said in a statement. This is first time in India, and possibly the first in the world, when jatropha oil has been used for co-processing in a petroleum refinery.

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This technology for co-processing of jatropha oil has been developed by IOC's R&D centre of located at Faridabad. The company termed this as a "major technological breakthrough that can be a game changer for advancing use of bio-diesel in the country and ensuring ready acceptance of the fuel by the automobile industry".

During the development of this process technology, IOC has also developed a process for de-metallisation and de-gumming of vegetable oils. De-metallation of oils is a pre-requisite for co- processing since metals are poisonous for the catalyst in the DHDT unit.

During the trial, the diesel cetane number improved by 2 units, sulphur content reduced and the inlet temperature of the reactor could also be reduced by 100 degrees Celcius with resultant energy savings.

Conventionally, bio-diesel is produced by the trans-esterification process which requires separate plant to be set up. Bio-diesel thus produced through trans-esterification route has inferior properties in terms of oxidation stability, lower energy content and results in more deposits in the engine due to which, it is not very well accepted by automobile industry.

"The novel innovative co-processing technology developed by IOC overcomes these disadvantages and produces bio-diesel with higher cetane number, good oxidation stability and lower density," the statement said.