CHIDAMBARAM, Jan 5 (Bernama) -- A United States based biofuel company in association with Indian petroleum majors and National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune, would set up the first bio-diesel pilot plant using solid catalyst, by 2008, according to a top scientist Thursday.

The company, New Century Lubricants, which bagged exclusive license to NCL's patented invention "solid catalyst" in November 2006, is expected to tie up with one of the Indian petroleum companies and start manufacturing cost-effective bio-diesel in 2008.

Quoting Dr Darbha Srinivas, a Scientist in NCL Catalysis Division, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that the New Century has approached a few petroleum companies in India and four-five of them have evinced interest in the concept of using solid catalyst in manufacturing bio-diesel.

However, Srinivas did not reveal the names of the petroleum companies.

Srinivas, who was here to deliver a lecture on highly efficient production of biodiesel and biolubricants from vegetable oils over solid catalysts, said NCL would provide the technology and support for the pilot project.

NCL scientists will operate the plant, using it to evaluate the technology and its performance with a variety of feedstocks.

The plant would look at manufacturing one tonne per day, Srinivas said.

The biodiesel product manufactured by using the method, called "double metal complex", is expected to be more efficient and cost-effective than that produced through homogenous methods.

Biodiesel is usually manufactured by combining oils and fats with methanol and a catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.

But in this technology, NCL has substituted bimetal salt catalysts for hydroxide-based catalysts, he said.

"This technology will overcome the limitations of conventional methods of biodiesel production. The catalyst converts the by-product, glycerin, into an addendum, whereby fuel thus manufactured can be blended with ordinary fuel and used in vehicles, without any modifications to the engine," he said.

At present, the homogenous variety of biodiesel being tested in public transport systems of Haryana and Pune, is produced at Rs.27 per litre. This method would substantially reduce the production cost per litre, Srinivas said.

NCL has already tested the catalyst with 13 different types of edible and non-edible oils, such as coconut, palm, sesame, peanut, castor, rubber, jatropha and pinna, to mention a few.

However, with jatropha being found to be ideally suited for Indian conditions, the pilot project would use it as the base product.

Depending on the success of the pilot project, the company is expected to foray into export and large-scale manufacturing of the product.

It has revealed ambitious plans to associate with global petroleum companies and set up manufacturing bases in the US as well, the scientist said.

In addition to producing bio-diesel, New Century could use the same process to make lubricants, by reacting oils and fats with a higher molecular weight alcohol, such as octanol, he said.

-- BERNAMA