Biodiesel(A one-stop Solution to many problems)

My main aim is to make the necessary people self-sufficient for their energy needs. I am proposing that we use Biodiesel as a replacement for the fuels currently used. The fuels are very overpriced which makes them unavailable for the poor people such as individual farmers. I want to empower them. Currently, the main problem is unavailability of knowledge and making a totally automated product is the best way for solving this problem. Further, in the way, the biodiesel is more environmentally suitable. If taken to a bigger level, it can change the economies of the country as the fuel dependency would be removed and each country would be able to produce its own fuel. This would lead not only to millions of people but all the billions if people who live on earth as basically, the fuel becomes economical and environmentally sustainable(which I will show how further).   

Biodiesel can be produced from vegetable and waste oils. Currently, this technique is used in parts of America and Europe but the knowledge is not widespread. I believe that the main way to technically tackle this problem is to build a totally automated product, a mini biodiesel reactor. Then the only thing they have to do is press buttons which would be pretty easy for them and they would readily accept it. Further, This product can also be bought by any middle-income people who can just start the machine in the backyard and come after the predicted time to collect the fuel. I have a total design package of this product(once in the production line) would cost around 60,000 INR (866$). The self-sufficiency of the energy needs would change the economy of the country as a huge proportion of import for any country is its fuel. The changes would be seen globally, on almost all countries. I have targetted the no-carbon and self sufficiency parts in the circular economy challenge. 

Our main targets are rural people and farmers. The main reason rural people are one of my targets is for two reasons, first being that they don't have electricity and second being that no fuel(petrol-diesel) supply stations are settled near rural regions. For example, Various areas in India have a different kind of plants growing that provide useful seeds. The seeds are crushed and used for various purposes but the oil is sold at a very low price. This, if converted to biodiesel can solve the electricity needs for that whole area(NOTE: no transportation cost if product used). Further, every farmer needs an irrigation system containing various pumps and/or a number of tractors and/or other equipment, thus needing electricity. Farmers can now be self-sufficient with this product and might even be supplier for electricity in their neighbourhood(if a large generator used). Infact, this being a fuel can be used at all places hat involves use of fuel and as a matter of fact, each and every person has their own fuel needs. 

According to my research, there are companies in parts of America and Europe that currently collect the used up oil and convert them to biodiesel. The Biodiesel can be used in 100% concentrations in temperate and equatorial belts while in cold countries, they need to be used in blends. The main reason this is not much used is the cost that increases. Every trial that has been done is on the industrial level where they set up a huge plant but the actual transportation of the oil cuts off the profit. If a totally independent fuel making device could be kept in the corner of your backyard from which you can easily get the fuel, then that would be profitable. I made a design for the mini biodiesel reactor and have prepared a model for the reaction in Matlab that will be used for automation of the process. Further, if the oil used is constant(say Karanja oil), we can perform the experiments for once(as we prescribe, to train the model) and then simulate a huge number of experiments without actually performing it to optimize the yield with respect to various input parameters. This code and design can be combined to make an automated product where you just input a mixture and then finally come after the time shown to collect your biodiesel. As such there is no specific technology used. I started this to solve a problem. I broke it down which ended up in various problems and each of a different field leading me to learn things from chemical reactions, structural analysis to computational fluid dynamics. As of the main technology used is the setting up of a batch reactor of suitable size and automating it with an electronic chip and valves. This was initiated as a project and currently we have a prototype for the design ath the university lab but the automations part is still to be done.

Chemical reactions are a multi dimensional thing which makes it hard to model and thus automate. Further as the oil changes, the yield vs time plot changes which makes automating even more challenging. The reaction depends on a lot of things. There has been a lot of work in this field but the minimization and automation of biodiesel are not yet present. This is the innovation in my product. I have already mentioned why having a huge biodiesel manufacturing factory is not as effective as my proposal. Additional to this, my machine is portable which makes it even more beneficial for travellers having house vans as they now don't even need to worry about the availability of fuel at all places. Cooking oil can simply be converted and used. This is one-stop solution for a huge number and varities of people like villages, farmers, travellers.

There are a number of technologies used by me for the project. I have used Ansys for the structural and thermal analysis of the reactor's design. I have used Matlab for coding the mathematical model, in which predictor-connector technique is used for measuring progress in time. I have also used Computational Fluid Dynamics to simulate the mixing for a various different type of blades of the stirrer to determine which provides the highest amount of energy change in the neighbourhood. I have used the generic algorithm for estimating parameters form the measured data to complete the model(for each oil). I have also used the concept of batch reactors for the chemical reaction. As you can see, my product is based on a number of different technologies from varying fields. As we can say that all the 5 fingers are not equal but each is necessary, similarly each technology mentioned above is core technology. 

the main problem that we tackle over here are solving the energy needs of the people in such a way that they are environmentally sustainable and economically viable. We have a number of fuel sources, some even renewable such as wind, solar, etc but none can be used as they produce electricity(which harms nature solar - producing the solar planes harms environment greatly, wind - too uneconomical and unreliable, water - we all know earthquakes and landslides happened due to dams). The problem just doesn't end here as a huge problem of battery production and disposal is at our hand, which would destroy earth like nothing we've seen before. This all needs to change the technology currently used like manufacturing new cars modelled for electrical supply as fuel. While, in case of the biodiesel, it is highly economical as no new technological innovation is needed in the vehicle engines. Further  

As I said the idea is in the prototype stage. I am a college student and have studies too in my curriculum. I am currently in the process of completing prototype and then we would go into the testing phase. Hence, we currently don't serve anyone and nor can I in the next year. But certainly after the next year, our product would have completed the testing phase and then we would be ready to serve. Hence we can say that we would have served people in the next five years but still, due to lack of statistical data, the number of people that would be served remains undetermined.

Our main goals, as stated above are to complete the testing phase of our product and collect the required statistical data within the next two years and then start the sales from the third year. 

One of the biggest barriers currently is the time and the money for the prototype completion. Being in a college brings the barrier of time and being from a low-income family brings the barrier for the money. One of the other important barriers that is worth mentioning is the training for being an entrepreneur. Current statistics says that the success ratio of startups from Btech students is just 4%-5% which is very low and the main reason for this as I think, is that they don't have the required market knowledge and the way of working of world which can be gained from being the part of a good entrepreneurship programme but that too is limited by the lack of money.

For overcoming the time barrier, I have planned to leave the extracurriculars and sports activities taken up by me in college and after that, I will get enough time required for working on this project. For dealing with the money crisis, I need your help and that's one of the main reasons I am applying to this challenge. Another thing that this challenge can help me with is building the entrepreneurial attitude by giving me a society of entrepreneurs that are great in their own fields. This would help me learn from them.

I am currently a B.Tech student at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. This is continuation odf project work started by me under a professor.

While working on the project, we were a team of two people. Further I am thinking of continuing this alone.

I am also a part of Rural Technological Action Group, A club coordinated by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Govt. of India, New Delhi. This connection could be used to get the help from government of India in increasing the outreach in India. Further, Our college has a number of tieups worldwide which can further be of help for taking this to an international level. 

This is currently my project, which I want to convert into a startup, hence I'm alone in this project, given the support and the guidance from the professor is not considered as partner.

After the testing phase, I would personally visit NGO's in areas of India that can have huge benefits through this product and demonstrate it's use. Then they would be my first customers and they would buy for a group of their workers. At the same time, I would be talking with the government to include this machine into various rural entrepreneur generation programme. Along with this, online platforms are always available for sales. The main part of my sales will be though based on government schemes as there are many schemes that currently provide with money but are still searching for a better option for creating rural entrepreneurs. Once I product is totally in the market and the need for advertisement is over, I would then set up the production line. Once the business is set in India, I would mover further abroad.  

As mentioned above, once I have a certain level of advertisement of my product and a set amount of demqnd is present in the market, I would move on to setup a production line that would get me revenue and this is my plan for financial stability

Solve can help me overcome two important barriers, one being funds and other being the advice on my future course of actions.  

I would like to get advised from a successful enterpreneur who can advise me on what to do and how to do. This can be a person or an organization. Further, being an engineering student, I don't have much knowledge in the business models, marketing and legal sectors, so any help in those areas is very much appreciated.

As you can see, Our main aim is to produce a sustainable energy source which can create a circular economy with the aim of no carbon. Starting from plants, the seeds from plants would be used for the production of diesel and diesel burns to produce carbon dioxide which in turn is absorbed by plants. Hence, even if the requirement for fuel increases, the number of plants increases thus ultimately creating a greener and a better ecology. If we get funding, we would be able to promote our product more, which in turn is promotion of biodiesel. This creates an awareness and thus further leads to no carbon economy.