Biofuel

[xoxoxoBruce]

Another promising player.

As the search for alternative energy sources gathers pace and urgency, the jatropha has provoked something like a gold rush. Last week BP announced that it was investing almost £32 million in a jatropha joint venture with the British biofuels company D1 Oils.

Even Bob Geldof has stamped his cachet on jatropha, by becoming a special adviser to Helius Energy, a British company developing the use of jatropha as an alternative to fossil fuels. Lex Worrall, its chief executive, says: “Every hectare can produce 2.7 tonnes of oil and about 4 tonnes of biomass. Every 8,000 hectares of the plant can run a 1.5 megawatt station, enough to power 2,500 homes.”

Jatropha grows in tropical and subtropical climates. Whereas other feed-stocks for biofuel, such as palm oil, rape seed oil or corn for ethanol, require reasonable soils on which other crops might be grown, jatropha is a tough survivor prepared to put down roots almost anywhere.

Scientists say that it can grow in the poorest wasteland, generating topsoil and helping to stall erosion, but also absorbing carbon dioxide as it grows, thus making it carbon-neutral even when burnt. A jatropha bush can live for up to 50 years, producing oil in its second year of growth, and survive up to three years of consecutive drought.

An interesting article and worth reading. The damn plant will grow in the poorest soil, but 23 inches of rain means it will have to be irrigated in dry areas.
Have to keep in mind this plant is not the be all, end all, but one more gun in the arsenal.

[busterb]

Biofuel . Must be the way to go. Milk here is up about 1 buck a gallon.
WTF?

[piercehawkeye45]

This seems like a very good find since it will help society in more than one area. Here are a list of figures for Jatropha as biofuel.


- Jatropha grows well on low fertility soils however increased yields can be obtained using a fertilizer containing small amounts of magnesium, sulphur, and calcium.
- Jatropha can be intercropped with many cash crops such as coffee, sugar, fruits and vegetables with the Jatropha offering both fertilizer and protection against livestock.
- Jatropha needs at least 600mm of rain annually to thrive however it can survive three years of drought by dropping its leaves.
- Jatropha is excellent at preventing soil erosion, and the leaves it drops act as a wonderful soil enriching mulch.
- Jatropha prefers alkaline soils.


- The cost of 1000 jatropha saplings (enough for one acre) in Pakistan is around 5000PKR (equiv to around £50 or just 5p each).
- The cost of 1kg of jatropha seeds in India is 6 Rupees (equiv to around £0.07).
- Each jatropha seedling should be given a 2m x 2m area to grow into.
- 20% of seedlings planted will not survive.
- Jatropha seedlings yield seeds in the first year after plantation.


- After the first five years, the typical annual yield of a jatropha tree is 3.5kg of beans.
- Jatropha trees are productive for up to 30-40 years.
- 2,200 trees can be planted per hectare (approx 1,000 per acre).
- 1 hectare should yield around 7 tonnes of seeds per year.
- The oil pressed from 4kg of seeds is needed to make 1 litre of biodiesel.
- 91%+ of the oil can be extracted with cold pressing.
- 1 hectare should yield around 2.2-2.7 tonnes of oil.
- Press cake (seedcake) is left after the oil is pressed from the seeds. This can be composted and used as a high grade nitrogen rich organic fertilizer (green manure). The remaining oil can be used to make skin friendly soap.


- One job is created for each 4 hectares of jatropha plantation.
- The average Indian agricultural worker earns less than $40 per month.
- Biodiesel costs around 16-20p per litre to grow and refine in India.
- Glycerol, a biproduct of biodiesel refinement, can be sold in India for around 45-70p per kilogram.
- One hectare of jatropha plantation yields 25,000 Rupees / year (around £300) in India.

The following stats come from D1 Oils - the UK's biggest biodiesel company:
- Crushing 1 tonne of Jatropha seeds costs around $40 (£23).
- 1 tonne of seedcake (the leftovers after pressing) can be sold for $100 (£55).
- The transport costs of shipping 1 tonne of jatropha from India to Northern Europe is $100 (£55).
- The landed cost of 1 tonne of jatropha oil to Northern Europe is between $348 and $500 for oil contents of 29% to 40% (£180 to £260). - Refining jatropha oil into biodiesel costs less than $125 (£65) per tonne.

- Filtered jatropha oil can be used as is in many diesel vehicles (as SVO) with only small modifications required to the engine.
- Jatropha oil can be used as a kerosene substitute for heating and lamps.
- Jatropha oil burns with a clear smokeless flame.

http://www.reuk.co.uk/Jatropha-for-B...el-Figures.htm