Biodiesel; Energy Solution for the Tropics
by Professor Gunter Pauli1 and Dr. Ashok Khosla2
June 2005
"Small rural villages can easily convert 5-10 hectares of unused land
space along farmland and close to the village into oil-bearing fruits.
Countries like India, Colombia, South Africa or Brazil have a rich
biodiversity, which does not require any non-native species to be
introduced. It is a matter of studying the local biodiversity,
selecting the best species so that biodiesel can be available forever
(!) once its flow starts - which is as early as 36 months after it is
planted. Martin Stenflo has calculated that the smallest biodiesel
plant with a daily production capacity of up to 5,000 liters would
only cost 10,000 US. The planting of oil bearing bushes and trees and
the conversion of oil into biodiesel becomes a bankable proposal, even
for a village with only 1,000 inhabitants. "
http://www.scizerinm.org/biodiesel.html
Subject: [jatropha] FW;Green investors get red alert from analysts
Green investors get red alert from analysts Reuters - USA ... Spotting a winner is hard in a sector that sees profit in anything from pig manure and trapped mine gas to the oil of the tropical jatropha tree and the humble ...
Green investors get red alert from analysts
Reuters - USA
... Spotting a winner is hard in a sector that sees profit in anything
from pig manure and trapped mine gas to the oil of the tropical
jatropha tree and the humble ...
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?
type=reutersEdge&storyID=2006-06-29T223347Z_01_L21666912_RTRUKOC_0_US-
ENVIRONMENT-BRITAIN-SHARES.xml
An approach of "money today, results tomorrow" may be OK if you are assembling vehicles from old Daimler-Benz drawings - certainly not in R&D!
And there is no sense in quoting US's NRDC and other figures from the West or China when we have done our own research while more is being done.
The major problem to biofuels is their diverse nature. Every region has a calorie-specific fuel, in the form of a seed, fruit or grain, and that can be tapped, as also husk, leaves and wood. Trying to enforce a single one of these all over India would create ecological complications as well as high costs of distrubution.
Most of all is the problem of high requirements of agricultural and forest land needed to meet the average annual requirement of a car and truck. The Gasohol project of IOCL sponsored by our Petroleum Ministry was abandoned when it was found that one average car's annual run fuelled by an 80-20 mix of petrol and methyl alchohol would need SEVEN ACRES OF FOREST LAND PER YEAR.
The injected-fuel internal-combustion engine, like the diesel engine is itself capable handling about any oil since it burns air using oil only as catalyst.
Notwithstanding emission and guaranteed power delivery issues, these engines have been run on even used lube oil, a host of waste and fresh vegetable oils beside coal-gas, producer-gas and water-gas. No major engine modifications are required, although there accessories like gassifiers, which pay back in straight economics within 3-5 years.
We also have a very sucessful biomass gassifier programme in India, with a share of 285 in the total production of renewable energy, moving toward tapping a potential of 3000 MW by 2012, not counting waste-to-energy projects.
This brings us back to the overall problems of increasing farm yields per acre all round, in identifying and optimising local bio-fuels for local deployment and in developing standard engine accesories to suit all these - all in a time-phased manner.
An energy crunch looms large. Fossil fuel stocks are falling. Oil
prices have broken the $70 barrier. Many countries are switching to biofuels. The EU has decided to use 5.75% biofuels like ethanol for motorcars by 2010. China plans to use 10% biofuels by 2010. The US already produces about 10 million tones of ethanol. The
US is adding 30% to its capacity while China is setting up the world's biggest plant. Interestingly, Hentry Ford, the father of modern automobile, was an ardent advocate of ethanol as a fuel for motorcars. He was a great believer in
recycling. We have started with a 5% ethanol blend with petrol, which can be increased to 10 & 20% progressively. Brazil is already successfully using 50% blend! With new technology it may be possible
to use even 100% pure ethanol in car engines with some additives so that sensitive parts of the engine are not affected. Ethanol is anhydrous, the purest form of alcohol. It is available as a byproduct in sugar factories. One tonne of sugarcane
produces 100 kg of sugar (worth Rs 1,000) and 50 kg of ethanol (worth Rs 900). But the entire one tonne of sugarcane, if fed directly into a distillery, can produce 500 kg of ethanol (worth Rs 9,000). It, therefore, makes good commercial sense of produce
ethanol as a main product in an independent distillery, rather than as a byproduct in sugar factory. Such distilleries can easily pay double the price of a sugar factory to a farmer. But sugarcane is an irrigated, water-intensive crop. What
about a dryland farmer who depends on rainfed crops? Fortunately, new technology is available to produce ethanol from grain and stem juice of crops like sweet sorghum (meethijowar), barley and maize, which are starchy. A distillery can extract 380 liters of ethanol
(worth Rs. 6,880) from one tonne of such crops. The distillery would be willing a pay double the prices to a dryland farmer compared to what he gets for his crops today. In this way, ethanol can usher in rural prosperity.
Our petrol consumption last year was eight million tones. We need only four lakh tones of ethanol to get a 5% blend. This can be easily produced from eight lakh tones of sugarcane, or just 0.3% of our total sugarcane production. This blend can also be produced from
just 5% of total jowar and maize production (21 mmt) if fed directly to the distilleries. To cope with rising demand in future, we should turn to biotechnology to enhance crop yields. This is indeed possible, as demonstrated by a farmer in Maharashtra who has
achieved sugarcane output of a record 355 tonnes/hectare through modern farming techniques, as against the present 60-70 tonnes/hectare. The distillery can also produce lower grades of industrial or methyl alcohol (denatured spirit) and sell
at Rs. 6-10 per liter. Industrial alcohol blended with kerosene (50% or even higher) can provide all the energy required in rural India. It can fire cooking stoves, light up lamps, drive water pumps, motorcycles or auto rickshaws and run cold storage units working on
the absorption cycle. It will also save rural womenfolk the hardship of walking long distances to collect firewood and in the process save trees. The price of ethanol and industrial alcohol will fall
substantially if the government exempts them from excise duty and sales tax. That would encourage their large-scale production and use. Oil companies could buy them from distilleries, blend them with petrol and kerosene and market such blends through roadside petrol
and kerosene pumps. The kerosene pump is a novel idea whose time has come. Kerosene need not be subsidized or rationed any more. Just blend it (50% or more) with industrial alcohol and sell it freely. When crude oil was available at $20 per barrel, nobody
bothered about biofuels. But now biofuels like ethanol are emerging as imperatives. To promote their use, the government must declare a comprehensive biofuel policy. In doing so, it should correct certain tax anomalies. While sugar comes under central excise,
alcohol comes under state excise. Rationalization of such rules, exemption from excise duty and sales tax, deregulation of feedstock and its pricing, simplification of licensing and other procedures will make our ethanol industry strong and vibrant. We could then
benchmark ourselves with Brazil in production and pricing of ethanol. Brazil produces ethanol at half the price of US or Europe. Brazil has also developed techniques to treat the effluent called spent wash that is generated in a sugar factory or in a distillery.
We need to learn and adopt these techniques or develop our own. The day may not be far when the world starts importing ethanol from India, just as it imports crude oil from the Middle East. The Times of India (New Delhi), 15 Sep. 2005
Junk Petrol for Ethanol
Arun Firodia
An energy crunch looms large. Fossil fuel stocks are falling. Oil
prices have broken the $70 barrier. Many countries are switching to
biofuels. The EU has decided to use 5.75% biofuels like ethanol for
motorcars by 2010. China plans to use 10% biofuels by 2010. The US
already produces about 10 million tones of ethanol. The
US is adding 30% to its capacity while China is setting up the
world's biggest plant. Interestingly, Hentry Ford, the father of
modern automobile, was an ardent advocate of ethanol as a fuel for
motorcars. He was a great believer in
recycling.
We have started with a 5% ethanol blend with petrol, which
can be increased to 10 & 20% progressively. Brazil is already
successfully using 50% blend! With new technology it may be possible
to use even 100% pure ethanol in car engines with some additives so
that sensitive parts of the engine are not affected.
Ethanol is anhydrous, the purest form of alcohol. It is
available as a byproduct in sugar factories. One tonne of sugarcane
produces 100 kg of sugar (worth Rs 1,000) and 50 kg of ethanol
(worth Rs 900). But the entire one tonne of sugarcane, if fed
directly into a distillery, can produce 500 kg of ethanol (worth Rs
9,000). It, therefore, makes good commercial sense of produce
ethanol as a main product in an independent distillery, rather than
as a byproduct in sugar factory. Such distilleries can easily pay
double the price of a sugar factory to a farmer.
But sugarcane is an irrigated, water-intensive crop. What
about a dryland farmer who depends on rainfed crops? Fortunately,
new technology is available to produce ethanol from grain and stem
juice of crops like sweet sorghum (meethijowar), barley and maize,
which are starchy. A distillery can extract 380 liters of ethanol
(worth Rs. 6,880) from one tonne of such crops. The distillery would
be willing a pay double the prices to a dryland farmer compared to
what he gets for his crops today. In this way, ethanol can usher in
rural prosperity.
Our petrol consumption last year was eight million tones. We
need only four lakh tones of ethanol to get a 5% blend. This can be
easily produced from eight lakh tones of sugarcane, or just 0.3% of
our total sugarcane production. This blend can also be produced from
just 5% of total jowar and maize production (21 mmt) if fed directly
to the distilleries. To cope with rising demand in future, we should
turn to biotechnology to enhance crop yields. This is indeed
possible, as demonstrated by a farmer in Maharashtra who has
achieved sugarcane output of a record 355 tonnes/hectare through
modern farming techniques, as against the present 60-70
tonnes/hectare. The distillery can also produce lower
grades of industrial or methyl alcohol (denatured spirit) and sell
at Rs. 6-10 per liter. Industrial alcohol blended with kerosene (50%
or even higher) can provide all the energy required in rural India.
It can fire cooking stoves, light up lamps, drive water pumps,
motorcycles or auto rickshaws and run cold storage units working on
the absorption cycle. It will also save rural womenfolk the hardship
of walking long distances to collect firewood and in the process
save trees.
The price of ethanol and industrial alcohol will fall
substantially if the government exempts them from excise duty and
sales tax. That would encourage their large-scale production and
use. Oil companies could buy them from distilleries, blend them with
petrol and kerosene and market such blends through roadside petrol
and kerosene pumps. The kerosene pump is a novel idea whose time has
come. Kerosene need not be subsidized or rationed any more. Just
blend it (50% or more) with industrial alcohol and sell it
freely.
When crude oil was available at $20 per barrel, nobody
bothered about biofuels. But now biofuels like ethanol are emerging
as imperatives. To promote their use, the government must declare a
comprehensive biofuel policy. In doing so, it should correct
certain tax anomalies. While sugar comes under central excise,
alcohol comes under state excise. Rationalization of such rules,
exemption from excise duty and sales tax, deregulation of feedstock
and its pricing, simplification of licensing and other procedures
will make our ethanol industry strong and vibrant. We could then
benchmark ourselves with Brazil in production and pricing of
ethanol. Brazil produces ethanol at half the price of US or Europe.
Brazil has also developed techniques to treat the effluent called
spent wash that is generated in a sugar factory or in a distillery.
We need to learn and adopt these techniques or develop our own.
The day may not be far when the world starts importing ethanol from
India, just as it imports crude oil from the Middle East.
The Times of India (New Delhi), 15 Sep. 2005
http://www.frienvis.nic.in/NewDigest/Sep.htm
Visayas schools to plant jatropha
"From a single tree, Cañeda said, it is possible to obtain about 80
kilos of seeds. This, he said, will mean additional income for the
farmer since he can plant it in between coconut trees. "
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=regions04_june21_2006
================
In this news it has been claimed that single plant of Jatropha can
give 80 kg. of seeds. It is false claim. In irrigated condition one
plant of Jatropha gives average 4-5 Kg. of seeds.
regards
Pankaj Oudhia
Myth. Jatropha monoculture is not harmful to livestock.
Fact. In general Jatropha is planted as live fence by natives in order
to keep cattle as well as wild animals away from crop fields. In India
wasteland, where Jatropha monoculture is in progress, acts as grazing
land for cattle. Jatropha monoculture is suppressing the growth of
native grasses and preventing the cattle to enter in these lands. The
cattle owners have no option for it. This monoculture is increasing
the chances of force feeding. Accidental feeding of poisonous Jatropha
and death of cattle have been reported in many countries. Experts
believe that Jatropha monoculture will increase the cases of
accidental feeding. Without prodiving alternatives to thousands of
cattle owners planners are planting Jatropha in grazing lands, by
declaring it as wasteland.
Myth. Indian trains are running by Jatropha biodiesel.
Fact. As trial authorities have tried to run Indian trains only few
times (for limited distance and by adding 5 to 10 percent Jatropha biodiesel in
conventional diesel) but Indian trains are not running through Jatropha
biodiesel. Many experts believe that these trials were for publicity and support
to the Jatropha promoters only as railway is having enough biodiesel to run
their atleast some trains through it. High cost of Jatropha biodiesel than
diesel (please look at Gujarat story in previous messages) is one of the
constraints. Also
authorities are much worried about its bad impact on engines.
Myth. Press is in support of Jatropha promotion.
Fact. World Press is keeping close view on on-going Jatropha
promotion. News from both sides are coming regularly. In fact the
campaign 'Say No To Jatropha' got momentum by their support. As you
know this campaign is a part of CG net (http://www.cgnet.in), the
successful example of citizen journalism. Through this group
information about poisonous Jatropha is spreading around the world.
Many articles have appeared in BBC Hindi, Indian Express, India Today,
Down to Earth, One World South Asia and many other popular magazines
and news papers.
Myth. Jatropha can give good production without irrigation as it is drought
resistant plant.
Fact. Like other drought resistant plants Jatropha also requires care
and irrigation specially during establishment phase. After
establishment it can tolerate drought up to certain period. It is less
drought resistant than Cactus and for growth Cactus also requires
water. Jatropha gives positive response to irrigation. That is why in
irrigated condition the yield is far higher than Jatropha depending on
rainfall. There is a need to keep this fact in mind that there is much
difference between Growing and good production. Any plant may grow in
any situation but can not give good production in all situations. For
good production it requires specific situation.
Myth. Jatropha can give good production in desert.
Fact. Jatropha is drought resistant plant and can grow in 'desert like
situation' not in desert. That is why the experts have left the Indian
desert for plantation of Jatropha. It is not viable in desert.
Myth. Jatropha is suitable for all parts of India.
Fact. Experts have prepared Jatropha plantation map for India. They
have left the desert and the food basin regions. This map suggests
that very limited area should be used for Jatropha plantation. Experts
around the world also give emphasis on use of mix plantation rather
than monoculture and give preference to indigenous species. Ignoring
these facts planners are planting Jatropha in almost all parts of
India. In many states farmers are planting it in fertile soil by
replacing profitable food crops. According to the experts Karnataka,
Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are having fertile soil and Jatropha
plantation is unviable for these states. You will find Jatropha
plantations in these states. That is why the weed experts are seeing
it as future ''super weed'' of India.
Myth. Jatropha gives yield of 12 (and more) tons seeds after six years
of plantation.
Fact. Well managed irrigated and heavily manured crop gives maximum 4-
5 ton seeds per acre. When Jatropha is planted in wasteland without
care it gives poor yield of 1.0 to 1.5 tons (or less) of seeds. In
regions of heavy rainfall seed setting is poor. To present Jatropha as
very profitable crop and to sell plants to farmers many agenicies are
making the claims of very high yield. Jatropha is planted in higher spacing for
good growth but you will find the suggestions of 2 by 2
meters spacing. Less spacing means more crowding and more crowding
means more competion for nutrients, light and moisture and finally
poor yield. Every one in fooling common people in the name of
Jatropha.
Myth. Farmers can plant Jatropha in Badi (Homestead or kitchen Garden)
for biodiesel production.
Fact. As we know Jatropha is poisonous plant and harmful to
humanbeings specially to children, livestock and other animals. Hence
it must be planted far from human population. Native Indian people are
well aware of its toxic nature and therefore it is always planted far
from home. There is no such limitation with indigenous biodiesel
sources. Many grow in Badi as trees and as weeds in crop fields and
wastelands.
Myth. Jatropha biodiesel is cheaper than diesel and other biodiesel.
Fact. At present due to higher seed cost and poor poduction Jatropha
biodiesel is costlier than both diesel and other biodiesel sources.
Lower seed cost is key for success but lower seed cost means poor
returns to the Jatropha farmers. In India farmers are raising it to
sell its seeds. Higher the cost of seeds higher will be the return.
Poor production is another constraint. Research organisations are in
process of developing high yielding varieties and for its testing in
different agro-climatic situations atleast ten years are required.
Ignoring this important fact planners are planting poor yielding
Jatropha. It will damage the ecosystem and also we will not get
sufficient biodiesel in future.
When biodiesel is prepared from waste and weeds there is no
cultivation cost like in case of Jatropha. Obviously the cost of such
biodiesel is far less than Jatropha biodiesel. Similarly biodiesel
prepartion from trees already present in any country like Karanj is
also much cheaper than Jatropha biodiesel.
Myth. Jatropha is not harmful to fish.
Fact. Jatropha bark is popularly used as fish poison. Research by
German scientists have shown that common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L) is
very sensitive to phorbol esters of Jatropha. Large scale plantation
on Jatropha specially near water bodies may cause great harm to fish
species. Detailed studies are required before starting such
plantations.
Myth. Jatropha seeds are not liked by children.
Fact. Unfortunately Jatropha seeds are much liked by children and
accidental feeding cases have been reported from different countries.
On-going large scale plantation is becoming curse for rural children.
In India local news papers publish these accidental feedings very
commonly. "Two seeds are strong purgative. Four to five seed are said
to have caused death. Bark, fruit, leaf, root, and wood are all reported to
contain HCN. Seeds contain the dangerous toxalbumin curcin, rendering them
potentially fatally toxic. "- the world literatures report. In India many states
are planting it in school compounds. More number of accidental feeding cases
indicates that planners have failed to aware the common people about its
toxicity.
Myth. Jatropha seed oil fumes are safe for human lungs.
Fact. The native people using Jatropha oil fumes as insect repellent
always cover nose in order to avoid inhalation. Jatropha planners
claim that fumes are safe but there is no scientific study available
on this aspect. There is a need for long term studies on human beings
as well as on livestock and plants before giving green signal to its
large scale plantation and use as biodiesel.
Myth. Jatropha plantation is not harmful to soil.
Fact. Like many weedy species Jatropha Allelochemicals are harmful for
soil specially in case of monoculture. There are research works
showing harmful effects of Jatropha Allelochemicals on Indian crops
like Pigeonpea. These Allelochemicals are harmful to native flora
specially microflora. Large scale plantation may result in negative
impact on soil. Without evaluating harm causing potential of Jatropha
green signal is given for its plantation. Wasteland where Jatropha
plantation is in progress, supports lives of billions of microflora
and fauna. Negative impact on it means direct impact on ecosystem.
Myth. Jatropha is not a weed.
Fact. Jatropha holds a status of weed in many countries including
Australia. The research is in progress to manage this weed through
different methods including weedicides. Crop protection compendium
pulbished by CABI, UK gives much scientific information regarding its
weedy nature and economical losses caused by it in different
countries. Ignoring these scientific facts many countries including
India are permitting plantation of this weedy species in thousands of
hactares.
RISK ASSESSMENT RESULTS: Reject, Score: 11
http://hear.org/pier/wra/australia/jacur-wra.htm
Myth. Jatropha grows without care.
Fact. Like other commerical plantations Jatropha also requires care.
No or less care means poor production. More care means increase in
cost of production. Higher cost of production means costly seed oil.
During summer in India over 60 percent mortality has been observed in
Jatropha plantation raised with no care.
Myth. Jatropha seed oil is safe for human skin.
Fact. Carcinogenic properties of Jatropha are well documented.
Internet is full of information on this aspect. The reseachers of
Thailand found in year 1987 that Jatropha oil contains tumour
promoting substances. Native poeple around the world know that
Jatropha oil is harmful for skin. This is the reason it is also known
as 'Hell oil'.
Jpn J Cancer Res. 1987 Mar;78(3):223-6.
Presence of tumor promoters in the seed oil of Jatropha curcas L. from
Thailand.
Horiuchi T, Fujiki H, Hirota M, Suttajit M, Suganuma M, Yoshioka A,
Wongchai V, Hecker E, Sugimura T.
Myth. Jatropha monoculture is ecofriendly.
Fact. Any monoculture is harmful to nature. Nature likes diversity.
Jatropha monoculture has been declared as future natural disaster by
environmentalists. In India there is plan to raise Jatropha mooculture
in over 84 thousand hactares. In Sanskrit it is mentioned that 'Ati
Sarvatra varjayete'. Excess of any thing is bad.
Myth. Jatropha is only promising source of Biodiesel.
Fact. There are thousands of sources for Biodiesel. Indian scientists
have prepared the list of over 300 potential species for biodiesel.
Most of these species are indigenous. Biodiesel can be prepared by
plastic, and even by weeds like Cassia tora and Calotropis gigantea
without investment of millions and causing damage to environment like
large scale Jatropha plantation.
Myth. Jatropha is not attacked by insects as it repels all insects.
Fact. Like other plants, many insects and diseases infest Jatropha and
cause much damage. It repels certain insects not all.
CM's biodiesel dream hits roadblock
Kamran Sulaimani
'IOC officials say the government policy wanted them to sell
biodiesel at Rs 25 per litre but that was not economically feasible
for them. ``The new government policy said that the biodiesel should
be supplied at Rs 25 per litre. But this was not possible,'' said
IOC Deputy General Manager-Conusmer Sales, M R Advani.
GOCL officials say IOC did not buy Jatropha oil from them even
though a contract to the effect was very much in place. ``Tenders
were issued by the company for biodiesel at Rs 54 per litre — for
four buses. But they did not buy the Jatropha oil from us,'' said
GOCL Chairman S D Pathak from Mumbai. '
For complete news visit at
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=186998
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