Being roped in by the Gujarat government as a partner for technology development in the project, the alma mater has recently developed a processing technology which, it claims, is capable of extracting more oil from less seed and thus offering more jatropha seed oil for conversion into bio-diesel.

The university which has been shortlisted by the Gujarat government a year ago to develop a cost-effective technology for extraction of oil from jatropha seeds and conversion of the oil into bio-diesel for blending it with diesel, has entrusted the task to its faculty of food processing and bio-energy.

Backed by a fund support of Rs 20 lakh from the Planning Commission for this purpose, the faculty has recently designed and fabricated a processing plant at a cost of Rs 10 lakh. “The plant is capable of extracting one kg of oil from 3.5 kg of jatropha seed against the common practice of producing the oil from 5 kg of the seed

The faculty claims that it has developed a unique oil extraction technology.“This is because the plant it has developed is capable of de-hulling and pulverisation of the seed and later steam cooking the oil on a continuous basis, leading to oil recovery up to 85%. While other technologies available at present, using the transesterification route, offers less recovery