A research project initiated by CISR (Center for Information Systems Research) and MoES (Ministry of Earth Sciences) along with nine other institutions including CSMCRI, IIT-Kharagpur, IICT-Hyderabad, NIOT- Chennai and NIO Goa is the Chevrolet Tavera that can run on 20% BioDiesel blend made from marine micro algae.
The Biodiesel was extracted and prepared using layers of micro algae found naturally growing in the Western coast of India discovered by the Bhavnagar based Central Salt Marine Chemical Research Institute (CSMCRI).
The project team made minor changes in order to make the new fuel mixture compatible with the Tavera's engine. The test runs returned fuel efficiency figure of 12.4 km/l which is about 2kmpl better than the regular Tavera.
The vision of the project was not just to achieve higher fuel economy figures but to discover a new process to extract Bio-Diesel from marine algae and the usability of this new fuel has been proved in the first phase.
The team now targets to move a step ahead and run a vehicle on full load of B-100 which is a highly purified form of Bio Diesel and check its feasibility for everyday use.
Will this project sow the seeds for low fuel prices?
[Source - BharatAutos.com]
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