Biodiesel from Jatropha

[mittaln]

Jatropha can be planted on barrain lands and as such it do not require much of fertilizers, water etc. Is there any harmful effects, on environment, of producing biodiesel from jatropha seeds?

[Series2]

It's poisonous, but then so are many other plants.
On the other hand it is drought-resistant, likes poor soil, and the fact that it's a perennial is a bonus.
I'm not aware of any negatives - though the large scale plantings planned in India may expose any shortcomings that there might be.

The Indian government has identified 39 million hectares (almost 100 million acres) of land suitable for growing jatropha, cheerily termed "the wonder plant" by Rajasthan state's "Center of Excellence for Jatropha Biodiesel Promotion".

The government claims that, if fully exploited, the said 100 million acres could produce biodiesel that can substitute for 20% of the country's diesel consumption in five years, far higher than the present 2%. Jatropha cultivation is part of a $300 million biodiesel program, in which plant oils are blended with regular diesel.

(Asia Times Online article).

[mittaln]

Any other country except India is working on Biodiesel from Jatrpoha? If yes, Did anybody tried to conduct life cycle analysis on Biodiesel produced from Jatropha.

[Cricket Tragic]

Except that Jatropha is a weed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatropha

[brijeshrawat]

visit *advert removed* for complete details on jatropha its advantages to environment

Brijeshrawat

Why don't you tell us them here?

[brijeshrawat]

To overcome the current climate crisis, the industrialized world has to come together to support developing countries to produce and use clean alternative energy. One solution is for the individuals and companies in the developed world to buy carbon credits – to offset their carbon footprint - from the companies or organizations working on afforestation/reforestation or the alternative energy technologies in the developing countries. Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Developmental Mechanism (CDM) allows companies in the developed world to earn emissions-reduction credits for investing in energy-efficient projects in the developing world. Similarly, many U.S. based companies are beginning to work voluntarily with companies/organization in developing countries to offset their carbon footprint. These sort of incentives will make renewable energy more affordable compared to fossil fuels in the absence of any governmental subsidies in the developing countries.

Biodiesel is an important renewable substitute for fossil fuels. Jatropha curcas, a high yielding non-edible oilseed tree crop, is considered one of the most promising sources of biodiesel. Jatropha can grow in wastelands, and it yields more than four times as much fuel per hectare as soybean, and more than ten times that of corn. The lower cost of subsidized diesel, however, makes the commercial-scale cultivation of jatropha not economically viable. The revenues from selling the carbon credit from plantation as well as substitution of diesel, nevertheless, will make the project sustainable. Moreover, jatropha cultivation has a huge potential to alleviate soil degradation, desertification and deforestation by greening this vast wasteland while providing employment to rural extremely poor and marginalized communities.

We’re setting up co-operatives with the farmers for the jatropha plantation on their fallow land. The co-operative will allow small farmers to participate. The co-operatives will be provided with the state-of-the-art cultivation techniques and high yield seeds and economic assistance to grow jatropha. The oilseeds processing will be setup for every 100 hectares of plantation thereby providing local employment. The by-products such as seedcake will be utilized locally either to fulfill the energy needs or making high value manure for organic farming. The local diesel vehicles or diesel generators will be modified to use the filtered oil directly to maintain the clean environment conditions. The leftover oil will be collected from these units to process biodiesel.

To finance the activities of jatropha plantation and biodiesel production, we’re forming partnerships with individuals and businesses to offset their corporate carbon footprint. Our plantation will begin in Uttarakhand, a hilly state of India, where we’ve identified more than 100,000 hectares of unused land available for plantation. Uttarakhand government is supporting bio-diesel economy by setting funding research institutes for providing high quality jatropha seeds and providing incentives to set-up environmental friendly industries.
Carbon offset from Jatropha plantation

[brijeshrawat]

After extracting 1300 litres of of Biodiesel from high qualidy seeds of jatropha. The biodiesel was passed to DaimlerChrysler India. A Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI specially modified to use jatropha biodiesel toured the country between April and May 2004, covering around 5,900 kilometers and visiting 11 major cities on a route extending from Pune to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi.
Powered by diesel fuel made of jatropha seeds this Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI covered a distance of 5900 kilometers across India.
The results of the experiment have been very satisfactory for two reasons. Firstly, it has revealed that jatropha-based biofuel can be used without any problems in modern CDI engines adapted for biodiesel. What’s more, this fuel produces only half of the unburned hydrocarbon emissions and one-third of the particulate emissions produced by diesel fuel derived from crude petroleum.
Secondly, the team from DaimlerChrysler India received a tremendous amount of public interest. According to George Francis from the project team headed by Klaus Becker in Hohenheim, two more Indian states are now in the process of setting up and financing jatropha cultivation in wasteland areas.

[brijeshrawat]

D1 Oils plc, the UK-based global producer of biodiesel, plans to establish a global Joint Venture with BP to create a world-leading business in Jatropha curcas: D1-BP Fuel Crops Limited.


Jatropha is an oilseed tree that grows in tropical and sub-tropical regions and produces high yields of inedible vegetable oil that can be used to produce high-quality biodiesel. Jatropha can grow on a wide range of land types, including non-arable, marginal and waste land. Jatropha does not compete with food crops for good agricultural land or result in the destruction of rainforest.

Highlights

Establishment of a 50:50 Joint Venture to undertake global planting of jatropha
- Target to plant one million hectares over four years
- Initial contribution of parties:
- D1 planting to date and planting business
- BP working capital of £31.75 million through equity in the Joint Venture

- Total Joint Venture funding requirement of approximately £80 million over five years
- Plant science remains 100 per cent. owned by D1
- D1 to grant BP an option to subscribe for new shares representing 16 per cent. of its enlarged share capital at an average price of 251 pence

Major global business to plant jatropha as sustainable biodiesel feedstock
- Endorsement by BP of D1's sustainable feedstock strategy
- Potential to produce low-cost, volume supplies of inedible oil for biodiesel
- Use of marginal and waste land and land unsuitable for arable crops
- No competition with high biodiversity value rainforest
- Significant job creation and value to local communities

Under the terms of the Joint Venture Agreement signed today (subject to D1 shareholder approval), D1 and BP will work together exclusively on the development of jatropha as a sustainable energy crop, including the planting of trees, harvesting jatropha grain, oil extraction and transport and logistics. Production of jatropha oil for refining into biodiesel is expected to begin in 2008.

D1 Oils Plant Science Limited, D1's plant science business, will act as the exclusive supplier of selected, high yielding jatropha seeds and seedlings to the Joint Venture. The strategy for the Joint Venture sees it planting Elite seed in greater quantities than D1's stand alone plan.


With the conclusion of this transaction D1 will comprise, in its upstream business, its wholly owned plant science operations together with the IP in plant science, in addition to 50 per cent. of a global planting joint venture with BP. In its downstream operations, the business will include, as it does now, its wholly owned interests in refining and trading.

Commenting on the announcement, Lord Oxburgh of Liverpool, Chairman of D1 Oils plc said: "Biodiesel is a young industry, but is rapidly becoming an established part of the global renewable energy landscape. It is crucial that we develop supplies of alternative, inedible vegetable oils like jatropha that are not subject to the same demand pressures as food oils and that are grown on non-essential land. This partnership with BP strengthens D1's strategy of delivering commercial volumes of jatropha oil at competitive prices, whilst truly supporting the communities in which we operate."

Elliott Mannis, Chief Executive Officer of D1 Oils plc, said: "This is a transforming event for D1. BP's decision to join us in this new venture is a significant endorsement of our strategy to develop jatropha for the production of sustainable biodiesel. It shows we have come a long way. BP's proven logistical, managerial and financial support will enable a significant enhancement and acceleration of the scope and pace of jatropha planting."

Philip New, Head of BP Biofuels, said : "As jatropha can be grown on land of lesser agricultural value with lower irrigation requirements than many plants, it is an excellent biodiesel feedstock. D1 Oils' progress in identifying the most productive varieties of jatropha means that the joint venture will have access to seeds which can substantially increase jatropha oil production per hectare."

[MarkuisMellvile]

Jatropha's high oil yields and ability to grow where food crops can't certainly make it an attractive crop for those companies wanting to make money from fufilling obligations under the incoming Road Transport Fuels Obligation here in Britain. The RTFO has certainly pushed the price of biodiesel out of reach of buildings wishing to use low carbon heating systems that don't have enough space to store large amounts of woodchip.

I hope BP and D1 Oil's interest in procuring supplies of jatropha oil from infertile soils in the Southern Hemisphere doesn't lead to destruction of rainforest already under pressure from intensive agricultural methods and slash and burn clearance for cash crops.

Are CDM and JI really mutually beneficial to investors and suppliers alike?

MM