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Massachusetts heating oil supplier to offer BioPure

By Erin Voegele

Web exclusive posted March 23, 2009, at 8:41 a.m. CST

Townsend Oil & Propane Inc., a Boston-area fuel and energy services company, recently announced plans to begin supplying customers with biodiesel-blended home heating oil that contains between 2 and 5 percent biodiesel. The company expects to begin supplying customers with the trademarked BioPure fuel on April 1.

According to James Townsend, Townsend Oil & Propane's chief executive officer, the company currently serves approximately 12,000 customers in northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire. The company supplies approximately 10 to 12 million gallons of home heating oil to customers annually. While the majority of these customers will be supplied with BioPure after April 1, Townsend said some customers located outside the company's primary supply area will not be supplied with the biodiesel blended fuel at this time.

Townsend Oil & Propane will be working with their traditional suppliers to purchase biodiesel. Townsend said the biodiesel used to blend BioPure will be sourced from BQ-9000 certified producers and will meet ASTM D6751 quality standards.

In July 2008, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation establishing a state biofuels mandate for home heating oil and transportation diesel. The legislation, known as the Clean Energy Biofuels Act, takes effect July 1, 2010. It establishes a timetable for a gradual transition to biofuels beginning with a B2 blend. 

Townsend said the biofuel mandate was a factor in his company's decision to offer BioPure to its customers. "Our company has always been on the edge of conservation and better products," he said. "We thought being an early adopter was a good thing. We think [BioPure] is a better fuel. The 2 percent has been fully tested and is good for our customers, it's good to the environment, and it's good for domestic energy security. We think it's the right thing to do." Townsend Oil & Propane may offer higher blends in the future, as more testing is completed and manufactures become more comfortable with the operability of higher blends in existing equipment, Townsend said.

Korean Firm Investing $210 million

August 22, 2007 by Ron Mahabir

A South Korean company is expected to invest about 210 million U.S.
dollars in the Philippines for the development of jatropha, a source
of raw material for making bio-diesel, a local daily newspaper
reported on Wednesday.

The 210-million-dollar investment from Korea Technology Industry Co.
Ltd. (KTI) will come in the next two years, based on a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) it signed on Tuesday with PNOC- Alternative Fuels
Corp., a subsidiary of state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC),
the Philippine Star reported.

The MOU would allow the two firms to form a joint venture to undertake
the jatropha development, according to the report.KTI will
specifically invest 150 million U.S. dollar for 75,000 hectares of
jatropha plantation within two years in the tropical Philippines.
Sixty million dollars will be used for the establishment of a 300-ton
capacity biorefinery by 2009, the report said.

The state-owned Philippine firm would be in charge of earmarking the
land for commercial plantation and development of jatropha, it added.
The PNOC-AFC is established by the Philippine government to develop
biofuels and other alternative energy systems that would reduce the
country's heavy dependency on traditional oil and gas.Currently the
oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used for making bio-diesel fuel in
Philippines. The country has passed a law on promotion of using
bio-fuel.

--
Posted By Webmaster to Jatropha News Around the Globe at 8/10/2008 09:05:00 AM

Malaysian Rubber Board takes charge of Jatropha plantation

7 May 2008
By Ooi Tee Ching

THE Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) has been put in charge of jatropha
plantations, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk
Peter Chin said.

This means MRB will develop high yielding jatropha clones and regulate
large-scale jatropha plantations on marginal land.

This way, jatropha plantations will not compete for agriculture land
meant for food production, Chin said, adding that the land will be
located far away from fertile agriculture land meant for food crops.

"MRB will research and develop jatropha clones that will yield high
oil content," he told Business Times after officiating the soft launch
of the International Rubber Conference (IRC) & Exhibition 2008 in
Kuala Lumpur on Monday night.

The IRC series is a calendar event among rubber experts worldwide. MRB
will host the IRC 2008 and more than a thousand delegates are expected
to attend the conference in Kuala Lumpur from October 20 to 23.

MRB director general Datuk Kamarul Baharain Basir explained that the
government plans for jatropha on a commercial scale and the oil
extracted will be used as biodiesel feedstock.

"In future, jatropha can be planted mono-crop or interspersed with
rubber trees. Jatropha doesn't need that much water, its genetic
make-up is similar to that of the rubber tree," Kamarul Baharain said.

With an initial allocation of RM2 million, MRB had already planted 2ha
with various jatropha strains sourced from Thailand, Myanmar, India,
China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

"By mid-2009, we hope to expand the seedfield spread of variants to
38ha," he added.

Source: Business Times Online

Myanmar to export jatropha-based biodiesel

28-Aug-07

MYANMAR plans to export jatropha-based biodiesel as it attempts to tap the growing market for biofuels, a senior Myanmar energy official told a seminar yesterday.

"By this time next year we hope to have seven million acres (2.8 million hectares) of jatropha plantations in full swing and a large amount of biodiesel for export in the future," said U Soe Myint, director general of Myanmar's energy planning department.

According to Lim Hong Hui, chief executive officer of Singapore's Tian Biogreen Energy Ltd (TBEL), 2 million hectares of jatropha crops can produce 1.2 million tonnes a year of jatropha crude, a similar product to crude palm oil.

"Myanmar's requirements for biodiesel are minimal, but the jatropha project should earn some foreign exchange income," said the director general.

Myanmar has faced a rare series of protests sparked by fuel price hikes last week. The price rises were most likely a result of Myanmar's generals struggling to pay for domestic diesel subsidies despite rising revenue from sales of natural gas.

The plantations will be run by Myanmar's seven local state departments, rather than the central government, with each state having its own processing plants, said U Soe Myint.

"Malaysian and Indonesian companies are already in talks with people in the various states to set up processing plants, while the central government will be responsible for quality control," he continued saying.

Jatropha is a drought-resistant perennial bush or small tree that analysts consider one of the most promising sources of biofuel, as it avoids strain on food crops like corn and sugar.

PNOC-ADF intensifies jatropha-growing campaign

Tacloban City (August 28) -- The Philippine National Oil Company-Alternative Fuels Corporation has embarked on an intensified campaign on the advantages of growing jatropha, locally known as "tuba-tuba," as an alternative livelihood for farmers, Secretary Renato Velasco, chairman of the PNOC-ADF board informed.

In connection with this campaign, PNOC-ADF has initiated the holding of the First Mindanao Jatropha Forum which is expected to gather together farmers, entrepreneurs and representatives from the energy sector, in Cagayan de Oro on August 28, 2007.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been invited the Forum which has for its theme "Jatropha Feedstock: Prospects and Challenges, Chairman Velasco said.

At least 500 hectares of open, marginal, idle and underdeveloped lands in the boundaries of barangays Lumbia, Canitoan and Pagatpat in Cagayan de Oro, are being targeted by PNOC-AFC to be developed into Jatropha curcas model plantation and seed orchards.

The model plantation, Chairman Velasco added, will support the seeds and/or seedling requirements for the development of at least 700,000- hectares plantations in various parts of Mindanao.

In her State of the Nation Address last July, President Arroyo cited 190,000 hectares of Jatropha plantation in Bukidnon and General Santos as part of the effort to cut diesel use under the Biofuels Act and to help fill gaps of the island's energy problem.

Among others, the Jatropha Forum will tackle the government's thrust of developing jatropha into an alternative source of fuel and as a poverty alleviation measure for the marginalized farmers.

To be discussed during the forum are topics such as the Jatropha Roadmap, Programs and Activities by PNOC-AFC CEO Peter Anthony A. Abaya; Jatropha Feedstock Production by Cesar R. Ventura, President and CEO, Royal Green Energy Development, Inc. (RGEDI); Research and Development (R&D) on Jatropha by Luis Rey I. Velasco, Ph.D., Chancellor, University of the Philippines, Los Banos, Laguna; and the Government's Energy Security and the BioFuels Program by Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap will talk on Policies and Challenges while Land Bank of the Philippines President and CEO Gilda E. Pico will discuss Financing Options and Strategies for Jatropha Projects.

The Forum will be highlighted by the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement for joint Jatropha ventures by PNOC-Alternative Fuels Corporation and Land Bank of the Philippines.

Just like many other countries of the world, the Philippines has always been dependent on imported fossil oil for its fuel requirements. Aside from draining the country's financial resources, there is no saying when the fossil fuel deposits will be depleted. There is no knowing whether the oil producing countries will be able to supply fuel to the whole world eternally.

It is, therefore, imperative, for the country to look for alternative sources of renewable fuel. Fortunately, the Philippines is abundantly rich in plants which are sources of fuel.

One of these is jatropha or what is popularly known as tuba tuba which abounds on the tropical regions and which has been used as a source of oil for lighting purposes in the homes before the Second World War.

The plant grows to about 10 to 15 feet tall, full of branches and leaves within the period of three years. Of the four varieties of Jatropha namely jatropha curcas, jatropha glanduflifera, jatropha gossypifilia and jatropha pattanica, a friend from India informed that jatropha curcas is the variety that gives high yield of jatropha oil.

Aside from the oil from the seeds of jatropha fruits, jatropha leaves has been used by people in the community as herbal cure for sprains, and is very easy to grow in one's own backyard and has a life span of 50 to 55 years.

Jatropha trees grow from seeds. Jatropha seedlings are planted two meters apart in barren lands or in between coconut trees. This could also be planted on boundaries as fencing because no stray cattle or animals would eat it.

On the eighth month, the jatropha tree starts flowering and fruits ripen within 45 days.

When 3.5 kilograms of Jatropha seeds are expelled, one liter or jatropha oil is generated. In India, all petroleum companies buy any quantity of jatropha Oil at the rate of INR 25 per liter or PhP 29.07.

If 1000 jatropha trees are planted in one acre of land, this will mean that on the 5th year, the farmer will produce 15,000 liters of Japtropha oil and earn at least PhP 436, 050 in one harvest season.

Petroleum companies extract the glycerin content from the Jatropha oil and add some chemicals to make bio-diesel. Glycerin is used for many industrial applications and the oil cakes are used as insecticide and fertilizer

S. Korean firm investing 210 million USD to develop jatropha business

http://jatropha-blog.blogspot.com/

A South Korean company is expected to invest about 210 million U.S. dollars in the Philippines for the development of jatropha, a source of raw material for making bio-diesel, a local daily newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The 210-million-dollar investment from Korea Technology Industry Co. Ltd. (KTI) will come in the next two years, based on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) it signed on Tuesday with PNOC- Alternative Fuels Corp., a subsidiary of state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC), the Philippine Star reported.

The MOU would allow the two firms to form a joint venture to undertake the jatropha development, according to the report.

KTI will specifically invest 150 million U.S. dollar for 75,000 hectares of jatropha plantation within two years in the tropical Philippines. Sixty million dollars will be used for the establishment of a 300-ton capacity biorefinery by 2009, the report said.

The state-owned Philippine firm would be in charge of earmarking the land for commercial plantation and development of jatropha, it added.

The PNOC-AFC is established by the Philippine government to develop biofuels and other alternative energy systems that would reduce the country's heavy dependency on traditional oil and gas.

Currently the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used for making bio-diesel fuel in Philippines. The country has passed a law on promotion of using bio-fuel.

PNOC to put up Jatropha Farms

August 17, 2007 (Business Inquirer) — MANILA, Philippines — Government-owned PNOC Alternative Fuels Corp. has signed an agreement with the provincial government of Quezon to establish jatropha plantations in the province.

According to the memorandum of agreement, the Quezon provincial government will identify and consolidate an initial 50,000 hectares of land for the project.

It will also ensure the availability of farmers who will participate in the project, from the planting to harvesting stage.

A Provincial Jatropha Committee will be established for this purpose.

For its part, PNOC-AFC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Philippine National Oil Co., will develop the land to be used for jatropha cultivation in the province, as well as provide the required technical knowledge support and training to the project participants.

The government firm will likewise purchase all seeds produced from the jatropha plantations at an agreed price, which will be the subject of a separate agreement between PNOC-AFC and the Quezon provincial government.

"By entering into (an agreement), the PNOC-AFC and the Quezon local government unit seeks to establish a basic framework for collaboration, cooperation and coordination for the establishment of an integrated jatropha plantation," PNOC-AFC president and chief executive Peter Anthony Abaya said.

The Quezon provincial government has always been interested in promoting jatropha cultivation as a means of providing additional income to its farmers.

Out of Quezon's 870,600 hectares of available land, 252,200 hectares are idle and can be used to grow jatropha.

PNOC-AFC is focusing on establishing jatropha seed and seedling nurseries this year before embarking on the establishment of actual plantations starting 2008.

"The planting materials we now have nationwide are still insufficient. We have to have enough nurseries to supply what we'll need for the jatropha plantations," Abaya said.

"We can't just jump into plantations without the sufficient planting materials. This is why PNOC-AFC is setting up nurseries all over the country, to propagate these planting materials," he added.

The jatropha plant's seeds have an oil content of 37 percent, which can be combusted as a fuel.

This oil has passed tests done on diesel engines.

Local biodiesel producers are currently using coconut as feedstock for their products.

JATROPHA CURCAS: PROMISING BIOFUEL FEEDSTOCK OR INVASIVE SPECIES?

Generally speaking, transplanting a species from one part of the world to another - either accidentally or on purpose - has, on occasion, had some really negative consequences. A prime example is kudzu that was moved from Asia to the southeast US beginning in the 1930's to control erosion. It did that but now kudzu overgrows just about everything in its path and is almost impossible to get rid of.

Now, with the push to find alternative and renewable sources of fuel in the US and elsewhere, oil from the seeds from a shrub called Jatropha Curcas has arisen as a very good source of biodiesel. But it's not a native plant to every corner of the Earth; thus if it is transplanted in say South Carolina or Iowa (places where it may not be found today) would it become an invasive species? What would be the impacts, the consequences, of farming Jatropha curcas on a large scale? (It's already classified in Western Australia as an invasive species and its use in biodiesel production is banned.)

Here's a short list of what we know about Jatropha curcas:

--- It's a shrub whose oily seeds or nuts are also called Barbados or Physic nut; Jatropha curcas belongs to the Euphorbiaceae or spurge family. Curcas is one member of the Jatropha genus, of which there are about 175 members;

--- It's considered poisonous (to some degree,) as its seeds or nuts, and oil from them are non-edible;

--- Its origins are thought to be Central America, or perhaps the Caribbean, but it is now grown in Asia and Africa and elsewhere.

--- It doesn't need much water to survive - only about 10 inches (250 mm) of rainfall per year - thus can be grown in arid regions and will grow well on marginal land;

--- Once growing, it has a long life, about 40-50 years and needs little maintenance; it doesn't have to be plowed under each year;

--- It can stop land degradation and reverse deforestation;

--- It can be grown alongside food crops and won't compete;

--- As a perennial (doesn't die every year) it can sequester carbon too. A full grown shrub or tree absorbs around 18 pounds (8 kilograms) of carbon dioxide every year. 2500 shrubs can be planted in a hectare (about 2.5 acres), resulting in more than 20 tons of greenhouse gas sequestration per year.

 

As a feed stock for biodiesel fuel it holds considerable promise as well:

--- Each hectare can produce an average of 500 gallons (1900 liters) of biodiesel per year from its nuts as well as more than 7500 lbs (3400 kilograms) of waste biomass. For biodiesel, Jatropha yields more than four times as much fuel per hectare as soybean; more than ten times that of corn;

--- Alternatively the entire seed (unsqueezed for oil) can be used in digesters for biogas production;

--- The "cakes" remaining after the seeds are pressed for oil can be used as feedstock for digesters to produce a biogas for cooking or power generation, or alternatively the cakes can be used as fertilizer;

--- Jatropha curcas converted to biodiesel has already been tested in vehicles.

Aside from fuel or fertilizer, Jatropha also has some medicinal qualities:

--- Extracts have also been shown to have anti-tumor activity;

--- Wounds can be dressed with the sap from it and the leaves can be boiled to obtain a malaria and fever remedy;

--- The seeds can be used as a remedy for constipation, if that's a problem.

 

Large scale Jatropha plantations are being created in India, China, Burma, Nicaragua, Africa, the Philippines and Brazil where the first commercial Jatropha biodiesel is set to begin operation.

Using a processing unit from Orbitek (formerly BioDiesel Technologies) the plant operator, Compahnhia Productora de Biodiesel de Tocantins will have the ability to produce 40,000 tons per year of biodiesel made from Jatropha and animal tallow.

A 48,000 hectares of Jatropha plantation as been established to supply feedstock to the operation.

Orbitek of Vienna, Austria builds modular, medium-scale biodiesel processing equipment that can be set up and in operation in 1-3 days. The unit fits inside a standard shipping container and will operate on a variety of feedstocks.

All of this sounds promising, does't it? The world has been bitten many times before by invasive species, it probably should be careful with Jatropha.

Mcleod Russel Plans to Invest in Indian Jatropha

July 30, 2007 - (Equitybulls.com) - Williamson Magors & Company Ltd and D1 Oils of U.K. have formed a 50:50 joint venture Company named D1 Williamson Magor Bio Fuel Ltd incorporated on July 29, 2006, for production of Bio-diesel in the east and north eastern part of India.

Jatropha Curcus is one of the crops, which has been considered good for producing oil from seeds and this oil after refinement is converted into Bio-diesel.

D1 Williamson Magor Bio-fuel Ltd has been promoting Jatropha plantation amongst the farmers on their privately owned waste land under contract farming arrangements for use of Jatropha oil seeds for manufacture of bio diesel. The Company has undertaken plantation on about 8,000 Hect of land during 2006 and has plan. to undertake 50,000 Hect each year from. 2007 onwards. The plantation has already been completed on 29,000 Hect during 2007. The Company plans to undertake plantation of total 2,000,000 Hectors by 2011-12.

The investment by the Company involves creation of manufacturing facilities of crude oil and refinery, working capital arrangements and initial support towards the plantation by the farmers. The total investment required for development of production facilities of upto 2009 - 10, year of commencement of commercial production, is approximately Rs 300 Crores.

The long term IRR on production and manufacture of bio diesel is estimated at 20% and is likely to remain steady over future period.

The majority of Jatropha plantations are planned in the Northeast India, where the Company has got its substantial presence. The Company will be able to add value through its expertise of managing plantation of large size. To get the benefit of the large upside expected in the investments into Jatropha plantations, the Company plans to invest, through internal generation, upto Rs 50 Crores in next two years subject to necessary approvals.

D1 Oils of UK, the Joint Venture Partner, has also entered into an agreement with British Petroleum to invest in Jatropha plantation / creation of bio diesel manufacturing facilities and through the association of British Petroleum, Dl Williamson Magor Bio Fuel Ltd will be able to access the world market for its product.

Jatropha : Alternative fuel

The jatropha bush seems an unlikely prize in the hunt for alternative energy, being an ugly, fast-growing and poisonous weed. Hitherto, its use to humanity has principally been as a remedy for constipation. Very soon, however, it may be powering your car.

Almost overnight, the unloved Jatropha curcushas become an agricultural and economic celebrity, with the discovery that it may be the ideal biofuel crop, an alternative to fossil fuels for a world dangerously dependent on oil supplies and deeply alarmed by the effects of global warming.

The hardy jatropha, resilient to pests and resistant to drought, produces seeds with up to 40 per cent oil content. When the seeds are crushed, the resulting jatropha oil can be burnt in a standard diesel car, while the residue can also be processed into biomass to power electricity plants.

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.

In India about 11 million hectares have been identified as potential land on which to grow jatropha. The first jatropha-fuelled power station is expected to begin supplying electricity in Swaziland in three years. Meanwhile, companies from Europe and India have begun buying up land in Africa as potential jatropha plantations.

Jatropha plantations have been laid out on either side of the railway between Bombay and Delhi, and the train is said to run on more than 15 per cent biofuel. Backers say that the plant can produce four times more fuel per hectare than soya, and ten times more than corn. "Those who are working with jatropha," Sanju Khan, a site manager for D1 Oils, told the BBC, "are working with the new generation crop, developing a crop from a wild plant — which is hugely exciting."

Jatropha, a native of Central America, was brought to Europe by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century and has since spread worldwide, even though, until recently, it had few uses: malaria treatment, a windbreak for animals, live fencing and candle-mak-ing. An ingredient in folk remedies around the world, it earned the nickname "physic nut", but its sap is a skin irritant, and ingesting three untreated seeds can kill a person.

Jatropha has also found a strong supporter in Sir Nicholas Stern, the government economist who emphasised the dangers of global warming in a report this year. He recently advised South Africa to "look for biofuel technologies that can be grown on marginal land, perhaps jatropha".

However, some fear that in areas dependent on subsistence farming it could force out food crops, increasing the risk of famine.

Some countries are also cautious for other reasons: last year Western Australia banned the plant as invasive and highly toxic to people and animals.

Yet a combination of economic, climatic and political factors have made the search for a more effective biofuel a priority among energy companies. New regulations in Britain require that biofuels comprise 5 per cent of the transport fuel mix by 2010, and the EU has mandated that by 2020 all cars must run on 20 per cent biodiesel. Biodiesel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 80 per cent compared with petroleum diesel, according to the US Energy Department.

Under the deal between BP and D1, £80 million will be invested in jatropha over the next five years, with plantations in India, southern Africa and SouthEast Asia. There are no exact figures for the amount of land already under jatropha cultivation, but the area is expanding fast. China is planning an 80,000-acre plantation in Sichuan, and the BPD1 team hopes to have a million hectares under cultivation over the next four years.

Jatropha has long been prized for its medicinal qualities. Now it might just help to cure the planet.

- D1 Oils, the UK company leading the jatropha revolution, is growing 430,000 acres of the plant to feed its biodiesel operation on Teesside — 44,000 acres more than three months ago, after a huge planting programme in India. It has also planted two 1,235-acre trial sites this year in West Java, Indonesia. If successful, these will become a 25,000-acre plantation. Elloitt Mannis, the chief executive, says that the aim is to develop energy "from the earth to the engine".

Jatropha: costs and benefits

- Jatropha needs at least 600mm (23in) of rain a year to thrive. However, it can survive three consecutive years of drought by dropping its leaves

- It is excellent at preventing soil erosion, and the leaves that it drops act as soil-enriching mulch

- The plant prefers alkaline soils

- The cost of 1,000 jatropha saplings (enough for one acre) in Pakistan is about £50, or 5p each

- The cost of 1kg of jatropha seeds in India is the equivalent of about 7p. Each jatropha seedling should be given an area two metres square.

- 20 per cent of seedlings planted will not survive

- Jatropha seedlings yield seeds in the first year after plantation

Brazil Opens its First Commercial Jatropha Biodiesel Facility

Brazil's first commercial jatropha biodiesel project goes into operation this month following the delivery of BioDiesel Technologies' (BDT) processing unit. BDT will deliver a further four processing units to increase the plant capacity to 40,000 t/y by the end of the year.

Project operator, Compahnhia Productora de Biodiesel de Tocantins, has formed agreements with local cooperatives and small farmers in the state of Tocantins to supply the biodiesel facility with the required feedstock. This has led to the establishment of 48,000 hectares of jatropha plantation, which will give an important boost to the local agricultural community. Jatropha, a non-edible high yielding oilseed crop, will provide a cheap and stable feedstock supply for the plant.

The multi-feedstock technology provided by BDT will also allow the use of animal tallow for the manufacture of biodiesel. This could prove to be a significant source of income to the large slaughterhouse industry within the Tocantins state, which has over 6 million head of cattle.

This operation, bringing local agricultural communities into the biofuel production process, will form the model upon which future Biodiesel operations in Brazil will be constructed; hence President Lula will show his support for the project in September. Brazil has introduced mandatory blends of 2% by 2008 and 5% by 2013 as well as numerous tax incentives for biodiesel producers that source their feedstock from local communities.

Compahnhia Productora de Biodiesel de Tocantins is examining project sites for a further two projects within the region, taking total regional production to over 120,000 tons of biodiesel per year.

Ukrainian company plants jatropha in Mozambique

Ukraine-based ESV Group plc recently announced the purchase of Mozambique-based company Inveragro SARL and the acquisition of 11,000 hectares (approximately 27,120 acres) of land in the Inhambane Province of Mozambique. ESV Group said it had already begun planting jatropha there, and it intends to have 1,500 hectares (approximately 3,705 acres) sown by year's end. Plans are being drawn for a crush facility on-site and eventual oil exports to the European biodiesel industry.

Jatropha strengthens as future source of bio-diesel

August 06, 2007

Hot on the heels of the announcement of Australia's first bio-diesel export by Natural Fuel, the company says it is looking at other potential raw materials for its product.

Dan Wallwork, Natural's Treasury and Risk Manager, says the company is investigating using fruit of the Jatropha bush, as it offers a number of benefits over other feedstocks.

"We have looked at Jatropha, and it seems quite attractive, when compared to some of the edible oils," Wallwork says.

"We are looking at it because it is non-edible, because it only has that industrial use, the price will always be cheaper than edible oils, which have more than one use."

Jatropha hit the headlines last week when BP and UK company D1 Oils announced a $76 million joint venture into processing nuts from the bush into bio-diesel.

It is widely recognised as one of the most efficient raw materials for bio-diesel, with yields of between 35 and 40 percent.

Wallwork says the company's Managing Director Richard Selwood and Deputy MD Michael Pixley would be meeting with the company that helped organise the BP/D1 Oils joint venture while they were overseas this week.

"I don't think we will have Jatropha plantations here in Australia, as Jatropha is pest-declared in West Australia," he says.

"I think the rural lobby groups will keep it out as it is poisonous to cattle, as well as people."

Despite this, Wallwork says Natural Fuel is investigating another Indian tree, Pongamia, which is also a nut-bearing tree, with a trial crop under way.

"We also have a memorandum of understanding with Energy Crop Australia to grow and crush soy, they will sell the oil to us for conversion, we have agreed a price to guarantee stability."

Korean firm inks deal with PNOC on jatropha

THE Philippine National Oil Company – Alternative Fuels Corporation (PNOC-AFC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of state-owned PNOC, has signed an agreement with South Korean biodiesel producer Eco Solutions Company Limited for the establishment of jatropha curcas plantations and oil mills.

PNOC-AFC president and chief executive officer Peter Anthony A. Abaya explained that the agreement is aimed at establishing a basic framework for collaboration, cooperation and coordination between PNOC-AFC and Eco Solutions thru a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

The agreement calls for both PNOC-AFC and Eco Solutions to pool their capabilities, experiences and resources together in forming a joint venture corporation that will produce crude jatropha oil and establish jatropha plantations at a minimum core area of 100,000 hectares.

"The PNOC-AFC will provide Eco Solutions the necessary assistance for the construction and operation of jatropha oil mills," Abaya noted.

"We will be the one to identify and consolidate a minimum of 100,000 hectares of land for long term use as jatropha plantations and for the construction of oil mills. We will also assist Eco Solutions in ensuring that feedstock supply agreements for the joint venture corporation are in place. The PNOC-AFC will also ensure the supply of Jatropha seedlings for the plantations," he explained.

Meantime, Eco Solutions will establish a corporation in the Philippines and transfer to such corporation its technology and capital necessary to launch its operations in the Philippines. It will provide equity investment through its local subsidiary to finance jatropha and oil mills, and plant a minimum of 100,000 hectares of Jatropha.

The company focuses on environmental engineering, construction and bioenergy. It intends to produce jatropha-related products and create the highest value added to its operations in the Philippines either via supplying organizations in the Philippines or by exporting jatropha products abroad.

In 2006, the Korean government promoted the use of biodiesel by revising guidelines and the mandatory usage and blending of 5% mix of biofuels in diesel. Ecosolutions unveiled investment plans in the Philippines this year to secure steady supply of such feedstocks for biodiesel production.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed into law Republic Act 936 on January 12, 2007 also known as the Biofuels Act of 2006 – the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. The Act mandates the blending of 1% locally-sourced biodiesel in all diesel products sold by May 2007 and 5% locally-sourced bioethanol blend in all gasoline products in 2009 and a 10% bioethanol by 2011.

Spanish company explores jatropha cultivation, processing in Ghana

A company in Spain, Entaban S.a. and Juanx Lioret S.a., has expressed interest in establishing a Jatropha plantation and Bio- diesel plant at Offinso in the Ashanti Region in Ghana.

The company has therefore sent invitation to the Offinso District Chief Executive (DCE), a representative each from the Ministries of Local Government Rural Development and Environment, Trade and Industries and President's Initiatives and the Offinso District Director of Agriculture, to visit the company's production sites in Spain.

The DCE for Offinso, Mr A.C. Ntim, who confirmed the receipt of the company's invitation letter at the weekend, said the company got to know about Offinso when it saw on the district's website that the Assembly was looking for investors to go into partnership with the Offinso Traditional Council and the District Assembly for oil palm cultivation.

Mr Ntim said the Offinso District had already been selected as one of three districts in the Ashanti Region for production of the Jatropha under the government's initiatives and therefore the company felt it was the appropriate place to locate the project.

Mr Ntim said the visit would take them to two of the company's Bio-diesel installations in Servilla and Jerrol, Spain.

He said a number of farmers had expressed interest in the cultivation of the Jatropha plant and had registered with the Assembly, adding that about 1,200 acres of land had been cleared by the farmers for the cultivation of the plant, this year.

Additionally, about 800,000 oil-palm seedlings have been supplied to 2,000 farmers for cultivation under the DCE and MP's Special Initiatives, which were approved by the District Assembly in 2005.


Besides, the DCE said 5,000oil palm seedlings had this year been distributed to the farmers in the district under the President's Special Initiativve.

Korean firm inks deal with PNOC on jatropha

THE Philippine National Oil Company – Alternative Fuels Corporation (PNOC-AFC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of state-owned PNOC, has signed an agreement with South Korean biodiesel producer Eco Solutions Company Limited for the establishment of jatropha curcas plantations and oil mills.

PNOC-AFC president and chief executive officer Peter Anthony A. Abaya explained that the agreement is aimed at establishing a basic framework for collaboration, cooperation and coordination between PNOC-AFC and Eco Solutions thru a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

The agreement calls for both PNOC-AFC and Eco Solutions to pool their capabilities, experiences and resources together in forming a joint venture corporation that will produce crude jatropha oil and establish jatropha plantations at a minimum core area of 100,000 hectares.

"The PNOC-AFC will provide Eco Solutions the necessary assistance for the construction and operation of jatropha oil mills," Abaya noted.

"We will be the one to identify and consolidate a minimum of 100,000 hectares of land for long term use as jatropha plantations and for the construction of oil mills. We will also assist Eco Solutions in ensuring that feedstock supply agreements for the joint venture corporation are in place. The PNOC-AFC will also ensure the supply of Jatropha seedlings for the plantations," he explained.

Meantime, Eco Solutions will establish a corporation in the Philippines and transfer to such corporation its technology and capital necessary to launch its operations in the Philippines. It will provide equity investment through its local subsidiary to finance jatropha and oil mills, and plant a minimum of 100,000 hectares of Jatropha.

The company focuses on environmental engineering, construction and bioenergy. It intends to produce jatropha-related products and create the highest value added to its operations in the Philippines either via supplying organizations in the Philippines or by exporting jatropha products abroad.

In 2006, the Korean government promoted the use of biodiesel by revising guidelines and the mandatory usage and blending of 5% mix of biofuels in diesel. Ecosolutions unveiled investment plans in the Philippines this year to secure steady supply of such feedstocks for biodiesel production.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed into law Republic Act 936 on January 12, 2007 also known as the Biofuels Act of 2006 – the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. The Act mandates the blending of 1% locally-sourced biodiesel in all diesel products sold by May 2007 and 5% locally-sourced bioethanol blend in all gasoline products in 2009 and a 10% bioethanol by 2011.