Kochi: A Kerala vet has made a big invention for the general public, suffering from rising petrol and diesel prices. At the same time, his invention will also serve as a great help for the environment. For the first time in the world, a scientist has made India proud all over the world by producing bio-diesel from chicken waste. After a seven-and-a-half year long struggle, the Indian Patent Office has finally granted the patent for this bio-diesel to John Abraham, associate professor of veterinary college under the University of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences on July 7, 2021. When Newstracklive spoke to Professor John about it, he very simply briefed about his invention.

Question: Where did you get the idea of making bio-diesel from chicken waste?

Professor John, in 2009, went to a PhD at Veterinary University in Tamil Nadu, where Namkal also had a large poultry form. Professor John points out that about 3 to 4 lakh chickens were kept in that poultry farm and a large number of chickens were culled every day, which was left with a lot of waste. He said that there was a rendering plant nearby where seed ingredients were made from hen waste, including chicken oil, but the chicken oil was not used much. Professor John and his colleague Ramesh Shravankumar thought that bio-diesel is made from a variety of oils in other countries, but till date no one has made bio-diesel from chicken oil. After which Professor John studied and researched from 2009 to 2012, after which he achieved this success.

This was followed by a patent filed by Professor John and his guide Ramesh Shravan Kumar in 2014. After completing his PhD, Professor John returned to Kerala Veterinary College and started teaching, but at the same time his focus remained on bio-diesel. After the research, Professor John installed a boiler at Pokode Veterinary College near Kalpetta in Wayanad in 2014 at a cost of Rs 18 lakh. From where 50 litres of bio-diesel was produced every day.  He sent the bio-diesel manufactured at his boiler plant to the Cochin Refinery of Bharat Petroleum Cooperation for testing. The result from where it came was like a dream come true for Professor John. The Cochin Refinery informed that the bio-diesel manufactured by them is of very high quality. But even after that the professor continued his experiment, he started using this bio-diesel by putting it in a bolero. First, he introduced 50 per cent diesel and 50 per cent bio-diesel in bolero, then he reduced the quantity of diesel and started running with 80 per cent bio-diesel in 20 per cent diesel. This yielded even more shocking results, increasing the mileage and efficiency of the Bolero with the use of bio-diesel, as well as less than half the smoke from the engine. The result made the professor very happy, as he had saved the environment as well as manufactured bio-diesel available at cheaper prices and its testing was successful, but still did not get a patent.

He had to wait a long time for the patent, which got professor very emotional. He said that even after applying in 2014, he did not get a patent till 2020 and the Corona epidemic in 2020 snatched away his partner and guide from him. Ramesh Shravan Kumar bid farewell to the world as he walked towards the patent. The professor says that his invention is a tribute to Ramesh Shravankumar because he worked hard for it, but he could not recieve the patent rights over this invention.

Question: What will this bio-diesel be useful in?

Professor John explains that bio-diesel will work in all the diesel engines in the world. He said that this bio-diesel will enable all diesel-powered trains like generators, trucks, etc., to run boilers in factories, even some Air Force planes. The professor says that he is now working in this direction and as soon as this bio-diesel is commercial, that is, when it comes to the market, bio-diesel can be used everywhere diesel is used. At the same time, it is obtained from bio-diesel sources which can be renewed. The existing diesel is destroyed after use, but this will not happen with this bio-diesel. At the same time, it will be very beneficial for the environment.

Question: Did you use the wastes of an animal other than chicken waste to make bio-diesel?

Professor John says red meat and goat meat are extremely less likely to make bio-diesel. Because he remains in solid estate even after rendering, while he has to be as liquid as oil to become bio-diesel. According to the professor, even after rendering red meat and goat meat, it will remain solid on the room temperature, it has to be heated continuously to keep the liquid. However, he explained his further plan and said that his team is currently engaged in producing bio-diesel from pork fat besides poultry.  He also pointed out that 100 kg of chicken waste from butcher households can produce one litre of biodiesel.

Question: How cheap will this bio-diesel be compared to ordinary diesel?

The professor points out that they have cost 35.65 per litre to make bio-diesel, when it becomes completely commercial, it can go up to around Rs 70 to Rs 75 per litre after adding GST and profits. In this way, the common customer will get diesel cheaper by Rs.30 per litre. At the same time, the professor said that the Cetane number of bio-diesel made by him is 72, which will increase the efficiency of the engine, while the siten number of common diesel is 54, which puts more load on the engine. Further, the professor said that bio-diesel made from hen waste also contains 11 per cent oxygen, which will not only increase the age of the engine but also reduce pollution due to low smoke.

100 per litre in many parts of the country, this invention made by Prof. John is going to give a lot of relief to the general public as well as to the Government of India. While this can make traffic cheaper, this bio-diesel is no less than a sanjivani for the environment and train engines. Congratulations to the professor and his entire team for this unprecedented invention.

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