Future prospects of biodiesel production from jatropha in India

India is vast country with an approximate population of around 138 crores as of 2020 according to United Nations data. The increase in population leads to the high demand of petroleum oils and gases which results in the increase in the price as well. The combustion of fossil fuels produces harmful emissions, which are also responsible for secondary pollutants such as smog, acid rain, and other harmful air pollutants. To overcome these situations, there is need of alternative and clean fuel. Among the available alternatives, biodiesel derived from non-edible plants have been considered a better option than petroleum diesel. Government of India has proposed to use 5% biodiesel produced from waste cooking oils and non-edible oils such as jatropha, karanja by 2030. This study presents the current scenario of jatropha as a feedstock for biodiesel production and how the flexibility in the growth of jatropha makes it suitable for India. With the development done so far by many investigators to establish jatropha biodiesel as potential substitute of diesel has also been covered in this article.