IMPHAL, April 26 – Power-starved Northeast States, including Manipur, should initiate steps to replicate the idea of tapping renewable power as in and around Maharashtra’s Nagpur city.

Deforestation, evictions and high emissions - palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia have a dubious reputation. Only a few suppliers meet EU sustainability criteria.

This policy paper addresses the rapidly evolving energy sector of India and the growth of first-generation biofuels as an alternative to fossil-based transportation fuels.

This study presents various vegetable oils from edible and non-edible sources for preparation of biodiesel using KOH as catalyst and methanol as alcohol. Maximum biodiesel yield from all vegetable oils was obtained under following optimum conditions: reaction temp., 70°C; reaction time, 1 h; catalyst amount, 1% (by oil wt); and methanol to oil molar ratio, 6:1. Characteristics of biodiesel at optimum conditions were as per ASTM standards.

A maroon car, powered by fuel obtained from photosynthetic microorganisms, was flagged off for a test run by Union minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Vilasrao Deshmukh in New Delhi on March 30. The event brings alternative fuels from microorganisms closer to reality. With fossil fuels set to get exhausted in the next few hundred years and the spectre of global warming looming over the planet, the world is increasingly looking at alternative energy options.

Forest fires and land clearing by palm oil firms could kill off within weeks about 200 orangutans in a forest in western Indonesia, an environmental group said on Wednesday.

Among the other safety measures announced by Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi in his budget on Wednesday are increasing the number of trains to be escorted by RPF/GRP personnel to 3,500 and integration of the RPF helpline with the All-India Passenger Helpline.

As part of the Railways' green initiative, 2,500 coaches will be equipped with bio-toilets, 200 remote stations will be powered by solar energy, solar-lighting systems will be installed at 1,000 manned level crossing gates, and two bio-diesel plants will be commissioned at Raipur and Tondiarpet.

This report, produced through a partnership between the business leaders’ initiative 3C (Combat Climate Change) and the Stockholm Environment Institute, gauges the availability of biomass for low-carbon energy and other uses in the context of sustainability and competing demands.

In order to ensure that modern bioenergy development is sustainable and that it safeguards food security, a number of good practices can be implemented throughout the bioenergy supply chain.

Energy security has become a national issue and several attempts are being made to seek viable alternatives in the form of renewable energy to meet the futuristic needs. Biofuel production from microalgae is considered as an effective strategy in this endeavour. Seven microalgae, viz. Chlorella, Haematococcus, Ulothrix, Chlorococcum, Scenedesmus, Rivularia and

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