Prospect of Karanja (Pongamia pinnata) biodiesel as an alternative energy source in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is an agriculture based country, where any edible and non-edible seeds can be grown. As a result biodiesel can be an effective solution to the increasing price and shortage of petroleum fuels. Every year Bangladesh imports about 5.5 million tons of different types of oil. Due to which Bangladesh has to pay a huge currency every year. Karanja, a sustainable source of biodiesel, can be cultivated for the socioeconomic developments of the country. Karanja petrodiesel up to 20% blend with diesel fuel does not require any engine modification and sometimes even gives better performance than pure diesel fuel. It is found that, with the utilization of unused lands about 0.52 million tons of biodiesel can be produced annually. Moreover, the use of biodiesel can reduce CO
₂
, CO, HC, NOx and SOx emissions compared to pure diesel.