In partnership with Gram Vikas, CTx GreEn has developed a carbon-neutral, Biodiesel-fuelled Energy System for small-scale rural water-pumping and power generation in non-grid villages in Orissa province, India.

What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is a cleaner burning fuel that can be produced using any vegetable oil. All vegetable oils are triglycerides and can be converted into biodiesel which is an ester using methanol (methyl ester) or ethanol (ethyl ester) in the presence of sodium or potassium hydroxide. Biodiesel is less polluting and when produced from locally available oil seeds, maximizes input into the local economy. It is the only renewable that can be stored inexpensively and has the lowest cash outflow from the local economy for the purchase (and operation) of technology.

Some of the main features of the biodiesel technology system developed by CTx GreEn:

• All the machines are human powered making up a small scale (5 and 20 liters batches) decentralized system that is easy to operate and maintain.


• The feedstock consists of local under-utilized fruits and seeds identified through extensive resource assessment done with the community. The aim is to avoid conflict with food-security, use non-edible oil seeds, promote use of the oil-cake, a by-product as fertilizer and avoid monoculture or introduction of non-indigenous plant species.


• Local livelihood opportunities are created directly through the technology, and indirectly through the use of by-products such as oil cake and glycerin and the use of the machines for other activities such as milling grains and pressing oil for household consumption needs.

Core Values

1. Foundation / Guiding Principles – Non-Negotiables
   • 100% Social Inclusion (no exceptions)
   • Gender equality, Capacity building
   • People’s contribution (to take an ownership stake):
     • Capital Cost: unskilled labour and local materials
     • 100% operating costs / maintenance costs
   • Capital cost recovery is not a goal
     • Rural infrastructure is just as much as an entitlement as urban infrastructure
     • And where the government is not able to provide the infrastructure, Gram Vikas and partners have a role to play
   • Quality of Life improvement is the goal: RHEP, toilets, bathrooms and running water is only an entry point.


2. Uniqueness of our approach to “secure biomass-based livelihoods” is in the balancing of resource base issues with communities’ technology needs


3. All the machines are human-powered
   • Designed for non-grid villages
   • Hand-operated Oil Press
   • Pedal-driven Grinder
   • Pedal-driven Biodiesel Reactor
   • Four sets of machines are in operation:
     • Two sets at the Mohuda pilot plant
     • One set in Kinchlingi village (Gajapati district)
     • One set in Kandhabanta-Talataila (Ganjam district)