11.1 Introduction

Energy is a vital component for economic growth as much as the promotion and advancement of essential services, viz., health, industry, education, communication, and social well-being [17, 18]. Energy protection and environmental sustainability have been some of the most critical economic issues of the last few decades. Energy consumption needs to be augmented as the energy demand at the global level is projected to be double by 2030. To prevent the rise of 2 degrees in global temperature, meeting the target of the Paris Agreement [1], we must leave 88% of global coal reserve, 52% of the gas reserve, and 35% of oil reserve unburn [2, 6]. The time has arrived to explore renewable energy source (RES) ways and means to meet our energy demands. The sense of urgency in RES has rightly prompted the Indian Government to set the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) to achieve 40% of energy demand through RES by 2030. All the more, the lifetime of oil reserves and fossil fuels is very limited and may only last for the next 50 years or so (considering the current fossil fuel demands).

The energy produced from biodiesel is a promising source of RES. First of all, it is a biodegradable, non-toxic, and eco-friendly fuel alternative. Secondly, it is readily available at affordable prices. Thirdly, it can utilize waste as raw material to produce energy. The price of Biodiesel directly depends upon the input cost of the raw material used for the extraction. Biofuels are classified into four generations.

Biodiesel is preferably produced from first and second generations of biofuels. First-generation biofuels pose a risk to food security as many food crops may be diverted for fuel consumption. As a matter of fact, 95% of biodiesel is produced from edible plants worldwide [3]. Second-generation biodiesel is the preferred one, as it utilizes waste materials or by-products for making biodiesel. Hence, the choice of crops for making biodiesel are many; some are oil palm, beauty leaf tree, Pongamia, castor, bran, coconut, moringa, soybean, rapeseed, jojoba, sunflower, Jatropha, neem, cotton, rice, etc.

11.2 Indian Perspective of Renewable Biofuels

Biodiesel can be considered as a viable fuel alternative to combat desertification and afforestation in India. According to the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India prepared by ISRO, approx. 25% of the area is under desertification [4]. Here, desertification signifies regions that are classified as arid, semi-arid, and sub-humid. Jatropha Curcas, a suitable crop suited to arid and semi-arid conditions, is a viable alternative to explore biodiesel in India. The chemical characteristics (flash point, calorific value, ignition temperature, etc.) of biodiesel produced from Jatropha are comparable to petro-diesel. It will increase the farm income of farmers from the Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Central India region; instead, it will attract more FDI.

ISRO has become a pioneer space agency globally in terms of the cost effectiveness of launching space missions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has helped ISRO, in collaboration Department of Land Records (Ministry of Rural Development), to come out with Wasteland Atlas of India [3]. As per the atlas, 16.96% of India’s Total Geographical Area (TGA) is classified as wasteland. Such AI interventions help in identifying suitable areas where second-generation biofuel can be grown (Figure 11.1). Moreover, AI also helps in process automation, wherein farmers involved in producing biofuels can be integrated on a single platform. AI facilitates capturing the real-time data from Indigenous Indian Satellites (RESOURCESAT-2, RISAT-2B) and relays directly to the farmers. This may help in crop selection and do surveillance by using GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping.

The Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime was introduced to relieve the ailing price mechanism in the Indian agriculture sector. But with time, MSP silently got transformed into an unofficially Maximum Support Price. It promoted a practice of crop monoculture among Indian farmers and completely distorted the forces of market economics in the pricing of agri-commodities [25]. Biodiesel is a strong incentive for Indian farmers to diversify their crops and adopt a multi-crop approach. Because monoculture has not only distorted economics but also provided an avenue for farmers to exploit natural resources. A declining water level, especially in Northern India, is attributed to rice and other water-intensive crops. The agriculture sector employs 50% of farmers and contributes 20% to Indian GDP [5]. It indicates that there is an acute problem of hidden unemployment. The need is to push Indian farmers into more productive and meaningful employment opportunities in the near future. But such a push should be done with extreme caution so that the food security of coming generations is not compromised. Second-generation biodiesel can provide an impetus to government’s flagship resolve, i.e., to Double Farmers Income by 2022.

11.3 Opportunities

During the winter season, the stubble burning of Kharif is the primary cause of concern. New farm bills also try to impose a penalty on the farmers for burning the crop residue in the open. But here is a blessing in disguise. IOCL and HPCL set up refineries in Haryana and Punjab to generate second-generation biofuel ethanol. It will make the environment more livable and utilize, hitherto, a waste (stubble) to produce fuel, providing better income support to farmers. National Biofuel Policy 2018 (Government of India, 2018) mandates 5% blending biodiesel with diesel which would be further increased to 10% by 2022 and 30% by 2030. It will make India more self-reliant in a real sense, paving the way to our Prime Minister (PM) vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat [7]. India has successfully tested first biofuel flight from Dehradun to New Delhi in 2018 [8]. It used biofuel obtained from the Jatropha plant in the ratio of 25:75, i.e., 25% of biofuel with 75% of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). The use of biofuels in commercial flights will reduce emissions from the Airline Sector (total CO₂ from the Airline Sector is 12%) and make air tickets more affordable [9].

India has more than 7,500 km of coastline. The marines and fisheries sector is on the agenda of the government for its promotion and investment. The GoI (Government of India) has recently created a special dedicated Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying. This sector has tremendous potential to generate export income, leading the agriculture sector from the front. The waste generated from fisheries can be used to make fish oil methyl ester, a biodiesel, having comparable properties to conventional diesel [10, 24]. The need is to invest in marine infrastructure to enable the farmers to explore new AI-enabled fish-catching methods. The Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) intervention will help the government track the shipments in real time and have surveillance over the marine waste generated via satellite imagery. Biodiesel production from the fisheries sector can be linked to already running schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojna (PMMSY), which aims to bring sustainable Blue Revolution, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF). International collaboration on biofuels is already in the pipeline under the program Mission Innovation (MI). The program participates in 24 partner countries and the European Commission (EC) addressing the eight broad challenges, of which sustainable biofuel is one of the challenges [11, 23].

India’s refining capacity of crude oil is one of the best in the world. Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat is the world’s largest refinery. We need to use our refining capacity to our advantage by blending biodiesel with petrodiesel to decrease the import dependency in the future. Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) is a company established to maintain the buffer stock of oil in case of any contingency. But keeping reserves such come at a considerable cost to the exchequer and requires regular maintenance to avoid any environmental hazards. Biodiesel has relatively high flash point temperature at 105°C (temperature above which fuel vaporizes and ignites), making biodiesel safe for storage (conventional diesel has a flash point temperature of 68°C).

11.4 Relevance of Biodiesel in India Context

The emissions from clean fuels must comply with international standards to ensure the minimal release of toxic gases in the air upon combustion. Blending fuel with biodiesel results in the reduction of carbon monoxide, toxic hydrocarbons, and particulate matter emissions to a large extent. Biodiesel is considered one of the safest fuel alternatives due to the absence of lead in its emission. The experiment conducted by [12] shows that emission further decreases as engine speed (internal combustion engine was used for the experiment) increases. The only exception is nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions, which increase during combustion. Another point of caution is the engine running of biodiesel may experience a relative (around 20%) decrease in output power [10]. Hence, the switch to biodiesel on a mass scale needs to be done with prior due diligence.

While considering biodiesel as an alternative to conventional fossil fuel, the cost becomes an essential component. According to [13], 75% of the cost of biodiesel depends upon the price of the crops used in the extraction. Only 1.5% of transportation fuel is biodiesel. But 40% of the biodiesel is sourced from emerging and developing nations [18]. Moreover, the developed countries under the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) [14] tend to divert their vast portions of subsidies toward food crops. Further, especially in the USA, the wheat crop is sown on a mass scale only to produce biofuels. If the developing nations divert their food crops for producing fuels, then this may lead to a situation of food crises in the country. India is ranked 94th position in the Global Hunger Index 2020 [15], thus clearly highlighting the urgent need to address food poverty. Digitalization of land records is required to monitor and identify the areas and crops selected for making biofuels. AI may come to the rescue to prevent the diversion of fertile lands for sowing the feedstock required for biofuel. National Biofuel Policy explicitly underscores the use of the only second and third-generation crops for biofuels. It also prohibits the export of biofuels and permits only domestic consumption (Government of India, 2018).

11.5 Proposed Model

Every moment globally has been changing at a breakneck pace due to human endeavor. The researchers propose a novel model for the extraction, marketing, and management of biodiesel in India (as shown in Figure 11.2). As already discussed earlier, there are different alternatives available for the extraction of biodiesel in India. Jatropha Carcus is best suitable as per Indian conditions, as it can germinate in areas hitherto that was a wasteland. Biodiesel extraction in India is in the nascent stage. GoI is currently emphasizing the blending of conventional fuel with biofuels. Several industries widely use ethanol which is produced in the industrial process, as input material. We can have more green and cleaner ethanol by utilizing the waste materials. As of now, the need is to focus on the extraction of ethanol from second-generation biomaterials [15]. With time the blending of biodiesel in regular fuel will gradually increase, we may shift our focus toward the production of biodiesel in the future.

Our model integrates the different stages of the plantation, extraction, marketing, and consumers via AI. The role of AI is to provide the inputs at each stage in real time and create a feedback loop. In the plantation stage, identification of different geographic areas, crops (feedstock), laborers, or farmers is made. We also propose to launch a new scheme as Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (UEGS) to address the issue of urban unemployment based on biodiesel production. Such a plan should not be limited to farmers but also include laborers, unemployed youth, and budding entrepreneurs. Government can deploy different models for implementing the program; for instance, government can provide the subsidy for the biofuel crops upfront and later, giving farmers the option to sell the feedstock to the government or in the open market. The UEGS needs to be a Demand-Driven Scheme [23]. The GIS mapping will determine the total crop area under plantation, and estimation of biofuel production per area is done in advance. Blockchain technology can help mitigate the issue of ghost account, which were created in the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). It will also ensure the accountability of personnel involved in the implementation of the scheme. An accountable method will benefit society by creating meaningful infrastructure, rather than focusing merely on outlays and ignoring the outcomes.

The next stage is the extraction of biofuels. Under this stage, government and private industries will be allowed to purchase the feedstock from the farmers directly. We propose to procure the feedstock in a decentralized manner if the feedstock is used for making the ethanol. Use a centralized procurement methodology if the procurement is done for producing the biodiesel. There is an urgent need for the Fuel Price Regulator in the country to regulate the production and management of alternate forms of fuels. Proper storage and distribution of biodiesel are necessary to avoid any hazard in the mass movement or storage of the fuel. Ethanol has multiple uses in many industries, including the manufacturing of liquor. At this stage, we recommend choosing a wasteland area for the extraction of biodiesel.

The marketing of the produced biofuels is the next vital stage to ensure adequate remuneration to the farmers. The government has already launched an e-NAM (National Agriculture Market) platform for integrating different consumers and producers under one roof. As biodiesel or ethanol are hazardous materials, we strongly recommend regulatory supervision by the government under this stage. AI is the perfect tool to eliminate intermediaries and provide a level playing field to all the players involved at different locations. The ethanol dispatched via various online platforms such as Flipkart and Amazon needs to mark the consignment using blockchain technology. It will ensure that each delivery is time-stamped and can be traced by the regulator in the future if the need arises [21].

Most consumers of biodiesel or ethanol might be intermediaries using it in the next stage of the production cycle to produce the final product. We recommend centralized planning and a decentralized approach for the distribution of the product to consumers. AI is the key to ensuring that different consumers have a legitimate certification (issued by the government) to purchase biodiesel/ethanol [22]. Digitalization of services has already created an enabling platform where consumers can get clearances from the government in a faceless manner. The current study fills in the gaps by examining in-depth research publications from various journals and conferences on optimizing production in the AI era and making future industry preparation easier.

11.6 Conclusion

In this chapter, we discussed AI is at the core, and it integrates all the stages by creating a feedback mechanism. Biodiesel is the future of the oil industry worldwide. The need is to invest in the infrastructure that can sustain the green technologies while establishing synchronization with the conventional technologies. The prospect of biofuels in the waste-to-energy realm is the key to meeting future energy demands. However, we need to traverse the path toward cleaner technologies sagaciously. The shift to biofuels cannot (and should not) happen overnight. The conventional technologies that have, hitherto, served as a backbone to our growth story also need to be preserved. Our objective should be to reform and transform the current technologies so that they can be leveraged to our benefit in the future, rather than outrightly rejecting them. Indian power generation capacity is currently 377 GW [16–19], inhabiting 1.3 billion people.

In contrast, China’s reported power generation capacity is around a whopping 2,000 GW occupying 1.4 billion people. It shows a gross wedge that needs to be addressed in the coming decades or years. Biofuel optimized with the AI is a perfect match to fill the energy gap and make India a Vishwaguru envisaged by our PM.

India’s prowess in the services sector is paving the way for implementing AI in almost every sector. The catchphrase Internet of Things (IoT) transforms the utility of conventional objects toward a new era of connectedness. The services sector is well supported by the Indian indigenous space agency ISRO to devise novel, cost-effective, and innovative programs in line with the motto of Atmanirbhar Bharat [7–20]. The depleting oil reserves and the process of climate change is a real thing. A switch to biofuels for meeting our energy demands does not remain a luxury anymore. An era of sheer economic growth has come to an end, and now, any growth needs a prefixed Sustainable with it. Biofuels as technology are still work in progress, but it has many positive externalities cutting across multiple sectors. Harnessing energy from biofuels is a silver bullet in green energy and utilizing waste as a fuel.