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Jatropha
seeds are a good source of biodiesel. This was confirmed by
researchers, Yao and Retamar of the Industrial Technology
Development Institute-Department of Science and Technology
(ITDI-DOST) in one of their PCARRD-funded projects.
Yao
and Retamar studied the fixed oil content of Jatropha seeds
collected from various regions of the Philippines to determine
from which region its seeds yield the highest amount of oil.
They also ran tests to determine the physico-chemical properties
of the extracted oil.
The
project, which ran from August to December 2006 collected
15 representative seed samples of Jatropha from ten regions
in the Philippines and extracted oil from them using solvent
extraction and mechanical method (hydraulic press at 20 psi).
The
samples were harvested in different times of the year and
cultivated from sandy, sandy loam, clay to clay loam with
scattered rocks and good to moderate drainage system.
Highest
oil yield through solvent extraction were attained from Palawan
(36.63%), Agusan del Norte (35.31%) and General Santos (34.27%)
samples. Lowest oil yield were obtained from the Bohol (21.28%),
Benguet, CAR (20.98%) and Zamboanga City (19.26) samples.
On
the other hand, highest oil yields through mechanical extraction
were obtained from samples collected from General Santos (19%),
Palawan (16.85%), and Marinduque (14.49%). Lowest yielders
were the samples from Cagayan (8.32%), Benguet, CAR (4.06%),
and Bohol (3%).
The
project noted that the mechanical oil extraction method is
currently more viable in the Philippines compared to solvent
extraction. The latter is still very expensive considering
the chemicals, equipment and technical know-how needed, and
the cost of operation.
The
researchers recommended a further study on the efficiency
of different mechanical extraction equipment such as hydraulic
press, screw type expeller, and ram press among others.
Similarly
the research team noted that the composition of the extracted
oil, based on its physical and chemical features, is relatively
comparable with other oils. The jatropha oil is odorless and
has a clear to light yellow color. Its average specific gravity
of 0.9141 at 25oC (pycnometer method) and iodine value ranging
from 83.88 to 96.87 were relatively comparable with the result
obtained by other researchers like Soliven and Satish Lele.
Idle
lands, particularly those not suitable for food crops can
be used to grow Jatropha as it thrives almost anywhere, even
on the poorest of soil conditions, according to the study.
Such
finding is ”good news” for the Philippines considering
its increasing demand for alternative fuels due to fluctuating
prices and uncertain supply of fossil fuels.
According
to the Philippine Energy Plan 2000 of the Department of Energy,
the Philippines’ total primary energy consumption will
increase by 6.5% per year until 2011. The country’s
total oil consumption will grow to 224 million barrels (MMB),
representing a tremendous increase from the 128 MMB consumption
level in 2000.
Moreover,
local calls for the use of cleaner fuels such as biodiesel
have intensified in recent years to help solve the country’s
worsening air pollution problem while also reducing dependence
on petroleum fuel.
PCARRD,
which funded the project, also monitored and evaluated its
implementation. (Ma. Rowena M. Baltazar and Faustina C. Baradas,
S&T Media Service)
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