Fund sanctioned for research on biodiesel production

India’s Department of Science and Technology has sanctioned Rs13.33 lakh (US$29,365.90) to the Department of Botany, PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, to undertake research on biodiesel production in a cost-effective method from karanja oil and jatropha oil using microbial enzyme as catalyst. The current project, with R.S. Meerabai, Associate Professor of the Department of Botany of the college as the Principal Investigator, proposes to identify lipase producing microbes, optimize the process parameters for high lipase production and application of such lipases for transesterification of jatropha and karanja oil for biodiesel production. (January 5, 2010)