Bioenergy resources of the Thar Desert

Abstract

The Thar Desert is one of the most populated deserts in the world, with a very high cattle population. The rural population is mainly dependent on fuelwood for cooking, as other sources of energy are either not available or not affordable. The population, cattle and energy requirements generate tremendous pressure on biofuel plants such as Prosopis juliflora, Acacia nilotica, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Calligonum polygonoides, Calotropis procera and Zizyphus species. Biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas is another renewable energy source, having socioeconomic implications in rural areas with an estimated annual production potential of 200,000 metric tons of seeds in India. Bioenergy resources of the Thar Desert’s arid region are presented in this review. This overview presents the biology, biotechnology and current status of various bioenergy resources (plants) of the Thar Desert and some of the future directions for these plants, which will make a profound impact on bioenergy industries as well as the socioeconomic level of the rural population. When the diesel prices will be left to market forces and biodiesel technology will be perfected for 20% blending in 2017, how this scenario will change is also presented.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank NS Shekhawat, Biotechnology unit, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, India for providing photographs (Figures 7–9) of fuelwood plants.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.