BMTC to hike biofuel content in buses

BMTC to hike biofuel content in buses
Vijay Times

THE Bangalore Metropolitan T ransport (BMTC), which is intent on bringing down the pollution levels in the City , is now seriously considering the option of increasing the amount of biofuel used in its buses.

The BMTC, at present, uses biofuel, which is a renewable source of energy , along with diesel to operate its buses.

"Now , BMTC buses are run on fuel that have 95 per cent diesel and five per cent Pongamia oil. W e have plans to increase the proportion of Pongamia oil in the mixture to 10 per cent in future," BMTC chief mechanical engineer C G Anand told B BV VT T . "W e are interested in this fuel as it has the potential to provide energy security and protect the environment. The fuel can also generate employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas," he added.

The official pointed out that certain properties of bio-fuels made them an excellent fuel for diesel engines.

"Their high octane content and low sulphur content make them a much better fuel than petrodiesel or high-speed diesel," he said.

"W e have conducted various engine and vehicle tests using fuel, which had 20 per cent bio-fuel and 80 per cent diesel. W e found that the performance of vehicles using such fuel to be satisfactory ," Anand informed.

Also, he said that the amount of carbon monoxide emitted by vehicles using bio-diesel was much less than the amount of carbon monoxide emitted by vehicles using petrodiesel.

Citing a report published by the Indian Oil Corporation, he said, "The cost of bio-diesel production, as estimated by the Planning Commission based on several assumptions, is approximately Rs 16 per litre. However , the present cost is higher ." He said, "W e are encouraging engineering students to conduct experiments and come up with formulae that can be used to produce biofuel at a lesser cost."