Feed stock crop options, crop research and development strategy for bioenergy production in India

Soaring prices of fossil-fuels and environmental pollution associated with their use, has resulted in increased interest in the production and use of bio-energy in India. Government of India has made policies to promote the production and use of bio-fuels which have triggered public and private investments in bio-fuel feed stock crop research and development and bio-fuel production. In this paper, efforts have been made to review and discuss various feed stock crop options and crop research and development interventions required to generate feed-stocksto produce required volume of bio-energy to meet projected demand without compromising food/fodder security and potential benefits of bio-fuels in reducing environment pollution and contributing to the energy security in India

A field survey on abundance of biofuel plant species in Alur Taluk of Hassan District, Karnataka, India

There are more than 150 species of plants that could be used for biofuel production. Important among them in Karnataka are Honge (Pongamia pinnata), Neem (Azadiracta indica), Hippe (Maduca latifolia), Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) and Simarouba (Simarouba glauca). A field survey was conducted in Alur taluk of Hassan District, (75º 9´ to 12º 9´) Karnataka, to know the abundance of biofuel plant species and to estimate resource availability for extraction of oil and production of Biodiesel. The number of Households in the study villages ranged from 120 to 600 with population ranging from 60 to 2,500 and number of productive Honge trees varied from 3 to 2,000 trees/village yielding on an average around 2 to 10 kg seeds per tree with very few Neem and Hippe trees but Jatropha plants were present in every village with very low yielding potential (50-100 grams per plant). Majority of the biofuel plants present were in vegetative stage and few were yielding. The yield of biofuel plant species is quite promising and the process of seed for oil extraction is possible and provides employment to the rural youth in the taluk. The substantial demand has been noticed in Alur taluk for Honge and Neem oil cakes and the availability is meager. Substantial scope is available for growing of biofuel trees, seed collection, processing and marketing providing additional employment to rural people. There is an increased demand for the biofuels and by utilizing the available resources the rural youth can start their own enterprise

Manurial value of byproducts of bio-diesel feed stocks on finger millet grain and dry fodder productivity

A replicated field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Madenur located in Hassan District, Karnataka in rainy season during 2007 to assess the manurial value of by-products of bio-diesel feed stocks-pongamia and neem oil seed cakes vis-à-vis conventional plant nutrients sources (combination of farm yard manure and inorganic fertilizers) on the grain and fodder productivity of finger millet, the staple food cereal of southern Karnataka. Grain and dry fodder productivity of finger millet crop grown using pongamia and neem seedoil cakes is comparable to that grown using conventional plant nutrient sources. Application of plant nutrients only through pongamia and neem seed oil cakes resulted in higher available soil Nitrogen, Potassium and Organic Carbon contents

Manurial value of byproducts of bio-diesel feed stocks on finger millet grain and dry fodder productivity

A replicated field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Madenur located in Hassan District, Karnataka in rainy season during 2007 to assess the manurial value of by-products of bio-diesel feed stocks-pongamia and neem oil seed cakes vis-à-vis conventional plant nutrients sources (combination of farm yard manure and inorganic fertilizers) on the grain and fodder productivity of finger millet, the staple food cereal of southern Karnataka. Grain and dry fodder productivity of finger millet crop grown using pongamia and neem seedoil cakes is comparable to that grown using conventional plant nutrient sources. Application of plant nutrients only through pongamia and neem seed oil cakes resulted in higher available soil Nitrogen, Potassium and Organic Carbon contents

Life cycle assessment of biodiesel production from pongamia oil in rural Karnataka

Pongamia pinnata is one of the promising tree species suitable for providing oil for biodiesel production.  This paper addresses the life cycle energy balance, global warming potential and acidification potential, of a small scale biodiesel system, in rural Karnataka.  In addition, the system has also been expanded to generation and use of biogas from seed cake for electricity production and evaluated for its environmental impacts.  The environmental impacts have been benchmarked with the life cycle impacts of fossil diesel.  The results show that non-renewable energy requirement of Pongamia biodiesel system is twenty-eight times lower than that of fossil diesel.  A significant increase in global warming potential (GWP) is indicated in Pongamia biodiesel system compared to fossil diesel if wood is used as fuel.  GWP would be seven times less if wood is not used as fuel.  Acidification and eutrophication potential of Pongamia system was found to be nil.  Further, expanding the Pongamia biodiesel system to include biogas production exploits the energy available in the system.  It is also observed that one hectare of Pongamia plantation is capable of completely sequestering the CO2 released during the life cycle with additional sequestration potential up to 1 t CO2 ha-1. Moreover, the above aspects were significantly superior in Pongamia system when compared to Jatropha biodiesel system. Keywords: Biodiesel, global warming potential, acidification and eutrophication potential

Influence of Pongamia, Mahua and Neem cakes on finger millet productivity and soil fertility

A field experiment conducted at Bio-fuel park, Agricultural Research Station, Madenur, Hassan in Kharif season of 2009 to asses the performance of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) under different organic manure treatment consisting of four treatments viz., recommended FYM and NPK through inorganic fertilizers as control, Pongamia, Mahua and Neem cake with 5 replications laid in randomized complete block design. The results revealed that application of recommended FYM along with neem cake equivalent to 100% recommended N performedbetter in respect of finger millet productivity and maintenance of soil fertility followed by recommended FYM with 100% NPK through fertilizers. Nutrient supplementation with different oilcakes proved superior in respect of soil sustainability

8-Chloro-5,5-dimethyl-5,6-dihydro­tetra­zolo[1,5-c]quinazoline

In the title compound, C10H10ClN5, the tetra­zole ring and the phenyl ring make a dihedral angle of 7.7 (2)°. The hexa­hydro­pyrimidine ring adopts a screw-boat conformation. In the crystal, inter­molecular bifurcated N—H⋯(N,N) hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into [001] chains

Serum electrolytes levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a common metabolic disease worldwide. Electrolyte played significant roles in the normal functioning of the body, and deregulation is indicative of different types of disease and electrolyte disturbances are often reported in type 2 DM (T2DM). AIM: The aim of the study was to estimate the levels of serum electrolytes in outpatients with T2DM and correlate serum electrolytes with random blood sugar (RBS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with T2DM visiting the outpatient Departments of Medicine, between April 2016 and March 2017 were included. Of 148 diagnosed T2DM cases, 74 were had RBS level >300mg/dL (group-1) and 74 had RBS level ≤300mg/dL (group-2). Serum sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), chloride (Cl-) levels were measured by using the Roche 9180 electrolyte analyzer. RESULTS: In this study, there was a significant decrease in serum Na+ levels in group 1 (131.83±4.36 mmol/L) compared to group 2 (134.15±4.90 mmol/L).The serum levels of K+ was found to be increased in group 1 (4.51±0.61 mmol/L) in comparison with group 2 (4.26±0.52 mmol/L). In group-1, an inverse relationship was present between serum Na+ (r=-0.342) and Cl- (r=-0.538) with RBS which was statistically significant. In group-2, a significant correlation was present between serum K+ and RBS (r=0.356, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The study showed lower levels of Na+ and higher K+ levels in group-1 compared to group-2 subjects. This study showed that the distribution of serum Na+ and K+ levels is dependent on plasma glucose levels in patients with DM and also suggests that monitoring the electrolyte levels in hyperglycemia is pertinent in the management of diabetes

Plant Power:Opportunities and challenges for meeting sustainable energy needs from the plant and fungal kingdoms

Societal Impact Statement Bioenergy is a major component of the global transition to renewable energy technologies. The plant and fungal kingdoms offer great potential but remain mostly untapped. Their increased use could contribute to the renewable energy transition and addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.” Current research focuses on species cultivated at scale in temperate regions, overlooking the wealth of potential new sources of small‐scale energy where they are most urgently needed. A shift towards diversified, accessible bioenergy technologies will help to mitigate and adapt to the threats of climate change, decrease energy poverty, improve human health by reducing indoor pollution, increase energy resilience of communities, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. Summary Bioenergy derived from plants and fungi is a major component of the global transition to renewable energy technologies. There is rich untapped diversity in the plant and fungal kingdoms that offers potential to contribute to the shift away from fossil fuels and to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.” Energy poverty—the lack of access to modern energy services—is most acute in the Global South where biodiversity is greatest and least investigated. Our systematic review of the literature over the last 5 years (2015–2020) indicates that research efforts have targeted a very small number of plant species cultivated at scale, mostly in temperate regions. The wealth of potential new sources of bioenergy in biodiverse regions, where the implementation of SDG7 is most urgently needed, has been largely overlooked. We recommend next steps for bioenergy stakeholders—research, industry, and government—to seize opportunities for innovation to alleviate energy poverty while protecting biodiversity. Small‐scale energy production using native plant species in bioenergy landscapes overcomes many pitfalls associated with bioenergy crop monocultures, such as biodiversity loss and conflict with food production. Targeted trait‐based screening of plant species and biological screening of fungi are required to characterize the potential of this resource. The benefits of diversified, accessible bioenergy go beyond the immediate urgency of energy poverty as more diverse agricultural landscapes are more resilient, store more carbon, and could also reduce the drivers of the climate and environmental emergencies