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RP in search of biodiesel
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The
Philippines may soon join countries like the United Kingdom and
India in using biodiesel as alternative to petrochemical diesel.
The
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources
Research and Development (PCARRD) is now in the thick of preparing
the proposal for a comprehensive Philippine R&D program on biodiesel,
with Jatropha curcas as one of the plant resources.
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The
Council requested various private and government research institutions
to submit their proposals and courses of action for this national
program.
Why
biodiesel?
Biodiesel, usually made from vegetable oil or animal fat, is a diesel-equivalent
biofuel. Latest studies show that this biofuel may be the best alternative
to petroleum for the following reasons:
• It is biodegradable and nontoxic and has significantly fewer
emissions than petroleum-based diesel when burned.
• It is agriculture-oriented and is a renewable fuel.
• It works with diesel engines, and is a possible replacement
for fossil fuels as the world's primary transport energy source.
• It is classified as a nonflammable liquid, with a flash
point of 160 °C. This property makes it relatively safe to produce
at home, and vehicles fueled by pure biodiesel are far safer in
accidents than the ones powered by petroleum diesel or the explosively
combustible gasoline.
• Production of biodiesel is rapidly increasing, especially
in Europe, the United States, and Asia. However, it is still generally
more expensive to purchase than petroleum diesel, but this differential
may diminish due to economies of scale, the rising cost of petroleum,
and government subsidy favoring the use of biodiesel.
• Biodiesel dramatically reduces potential risks of cancer
and birth defects; it reduces serious air pollutants such as particulates,
carbon monoxides, hydrocarbons, and air toxins.
Jatropha:
the most promising biodiesel source
According
to studies, nearly 100 species are known to produce oil from seeds.
However, it is Jatropha curcas, with its oil-bearing seeds, that
has been found to have the ultimate potential for biodiesel. Its
oil yield per hectare is among the highest of the tree-borne oil
seeds. Approximately 31–37% of oil is extracted from the J.
curcas seed.
Research
has shown that jatropha biodiesel is as good as diesel fuel in terms
of engine performance. It readily mixes with diesel fuel and it
runs in any diesel engine without modification. With the worldwide
trend toward cleaner burning fuels, jatropha biodiesel is seen as
the fuel to provide this.
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Why Jatropha curcas?
This tree is undemanding in soil type as it grows
almost anywhere, be it sandy, gravelly, saline, or alkaline soil.
It does not even require tillage.
It can be grown on watershed basins and on low-fertility,
marginal, degraded, fallow, and waste lands. It can grow outside
of forest lands, along canals and railway tracks, and on borders
of farmers’ fields.
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It
is drought-resistant, thriving in areas of low rainfall (500 mm per
year). With the help of drip irrigation, it can be grown in desert
areas. It can be grown with much higher yields in areas with high
rainfall or irrigation.
It is easy to establish––from seeds, three-month-old seedlings,
and cuttings––and it grows relatively quickly. The use
of branch cutting is best for rapid growth. Moreover, it is hardy,
forming a thick live hedge after only a month's planting.
It has no insect pests and animals don’t like
to eat its leaves.
Because it is not so tall, its seeds are easy to
collect, ready to be plucked after the rainy season. Seed production
ranges from about 0.4 tons per hectare in the first year to over
5 tons per hectare after three years. It starts yielding from the
second year onward and continues for 40 years.
Like all trees, jatropha removes carbon from the
atmosphere, stores it in its woody tissues and assists in the build
up of soil carbon. It is thus environment friendly.
Jatropha plantation and processing
Based on experiences of several jatropha-growing countries, specifically
in India, a plant density of 2,500 per hectare, with a spacing of
2 X 2 meters, has been found to be optimal. However, a lower plant
density of about 1,700 per hectare was found more desirable in a
trial in rainfed areas on poor soils.
In India, jatropha grown in suitable plantations,
gives about 2 kilograms of seeds per tree; in relatively poor soils,
it gives between 0.75 kilogram and 1.00 kilogram per tree. Seed
production can be between 2.25 tons per hectare and 5 tons per hectare.
Assumptions in a study state that a hectare of jatropha plantation
with average soil can produce an average of 1.6 metric tons of oil.
Plantation per hectare on poorer soils can give 0.9 metric ton of
oil.
The
use of this species as source of an alternative to petroleum fuels
has long been researched on to increase its production to meet growing
demands.
The
D1 Oils Plc., a United Kingdom-based company, has been producing
biodiesel from jatropha oils to meet the demand of the European
community for biodiesel.
The European Union (EU) already has legislation in place to mitigate
greenhouse gases from the use of oil and diesel for road transport
in the next 25 years. Legislation states that the proportion of
biodiesel shall be increased in Europe’s transport energy
mix. The main green fuels will be ethanol and biodiesel; thus, the
demand for biodiesel will be up to 10.5 billion liters by 2010.
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The
report further states that D1 estimates that a plantation of 2,200
jatropha plants per hectare could yield up to 7 tons of beans per
year. If jatropha beans can produce oil yields of up to 40%, D1 expects
each hectare to deliver about 3,000 liters of biodiesel.
The D1 group has adopted the established process of refining biodiesel,
where the vegetable oil is esterified, reacted with methanol and sodium
hydroxide, to produce diesel and glycerine. In adopting the process,
D1 has created its own proprietary process producing biodiesel from
jatropha and various other feedstocks.
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The
D1-20 refinery can produce up to 8 million liters of biodiesel per
year, equivalent to about 22,000 liters daily.
In reports, D1 has already secured plantation agreements in Burkina
Faso, Ghana, and the Philippines, totaling 37,000 hectares, and has
the option to extend planting to approximately 990,000 more hectares
in Burkina Faso and 5 million hectares in India. Moreover, D1 has
plans to provide modular refineries in India, the Philippines, and
South Africa.
PCARRD has linked with the D1 Oils Plc’ Philippine office, D1
Oils Asia Pacific, Inc. in firming up the program. (Ma. Rowena M.
Baltazar, S&T Media Service; Photos by Dr. Virgilio Villancio/UPLB)
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Copyright
© 2001
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research
and Development
Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
Tel. Nos. (63-049) 536-0014 to 536-0015/ 536-0017 to 536-0020 & 536-0024
Fax Nos. (63-049) 536-0016/ 536-0132
E-mail: pcarrd@pcarrd.dost.gov.ph
All Rights Reserved. |
