For many years now, many environmentalists and energy experts have been projecting bio-fuel as an ideal solution for the energy crunch and environmental pollution bedeviling the overcrowded and overheated planet Earth. Further, it has been considered a sound option to beat the relentless surge in global crude oil prices.
Indeed, with the crude prices hovering around US$ 100 a barrel, there has been growing demand for bio-fuel in virtually every part of the world. A study by the Washington-based World Watch Institute says that bio-fuel, such as ethanol and bio-diesel, can significantly reduce global dependence on crude oil.
On the other hand, the massive surge in vegetable oil prices in India has been attributed to the growing diversion of edible oil varieties to produce bio-fuel. India has traditionally been a oilseed-deficit country and the production of oilseeds has not been keeping pace with the growing demand. This implies that Indias import of vegetable oil would go up in the years ahead.
As imports meet more than 66% of Indias vegetable oil requirement, there is a concern that the import bill could touch Rs 20,000 crore in 2008- 09. As it is, prices of soya bean oil, rapeseed oil and palm oil in the global market have shot through the roof in recent months.
A letter from Solvent Extractors Association of India to the Government of India drives home the point that, even if the entire quantity of vegetable oil available in the world is converted into bio-fuel, it will meet only around 3% of the total fuel requirement. At the same time, withdrawal of around 5%-10% of vegetable oil varieties for non edible use could seriously impact its price as well as availability.
Arecent United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has expressed concern over the competing use of land for the production of food, animal feed and bio-fuels. For instance, corn cultivation in the USA, mainly aimed at the bio-fuel sector, has taken away a portion of the land that was hitherto under cultivation of soya bean.
According to UNCTAD, there is every possibility of bio-fuel cropcultivation causing deforestation, water scarcity and eco disruption. As such, UNCTAD is of view that a possible solution lies in going in for tropical oil-yielding plants, such as jatropha and pongamia, which can easily be raised on degraded land stretches.
However, though jatropha cultivation in certain pockets of India is picking up, farmers in general are far from happy about raising these oilbearing plants since the period of planting to maturity is around 4 years. The farmers are also sceptical of getting assured buyers for the crops.
Of course, many bio-diesel production facilities being set up in various part of India have come out with the promise of buying the oil-bearing seeds at a remunerative price. In fact, many Indian entrepreneurs are investing on bio-diesel extraction plants with an eye on the booming European bio-fuel market.
The massive demand for biodiesel in Europe is being attributed to the policy of blending bio-diesel with crude in various countries. Manufacturers in India can hope to earn at least $ 200 per ton more from exporting their product to Europe rather than sell it to the oil companies in India, for blending with diesel, says an industry spokesman.
However, across the world, everything is not hunky-dory for bio-diesel producers. Even in the USA, the worlds leading ethanol producer, in spite of generous subsidies by the Government, returns are not attractive to the producers due to high cost of operations and low ethanol prices.
The principle fuel used as a petrol substitute for road transport vehicles is bioethanol. Bioethanol fuel is mainly produced by the sugar fermentation process, although it can also be manufactured by the chemical process of reacting ethylene with steam.
The main sources of sugar required to produce ethanol come from fuel or energy crops. These crops are grown specifically for energy use and include corn, maize and wheat crops, waste straw, willow and popular trees, sawdust, reed canary grass, cord grasses, jerusalem artichoke, myscanthus and sorghum plants. There is also ongoing research and development into the use of municipal solid wastes to produce ethanol fuel.
Ethanol or ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) is a clear colourless liquid, it is biodegradable, low in toxicity and causes little environmental pollution if spilt. Ethanol burns to produce carbon dioxide and water.
Ethanol is a high octane fuel and has replaced lead as an octane enhancer in petrol. By blending ethanol with gasoline we can also oxygenate the fuel mixture so it burns more completely and reduces polluting emissions. Ethanol fuel blends are widely sold in the United States.
The most common blend is 10% ethanol and 90% petrol (E10). Vehicle engines require no modifications to run on E10 and vehicle warranties are unaffected also. Only flexible fuel vehicles can run on up to 85% ethanol and 15% petrol blends (E85).
Ethanol can be produced from biomass by the hydrolysis and sugar fermentation processes. Biomass wastes contain a complex mixture of carbohydrate polymers from the plant cell walls known as cellulose, hemi cellulose and lignin.
In order to produce sugars from the biomass, the biomass is pre-treated with acids or enzymes in order to reduce the size of the feedstock and to open up the plant structure. The cellulose and the hemi cellulose portions are broken down (hydrolysed) by enzymes or dilute acids into sucrose sugar that is then fermented into ethanol.
The lignin which is also present in the biomass is normally used as a fuel for the ethanol production plants boilers. There are three principle methods of extracting sugars from biomass. These are concentrated acid hydrolysis, dilute acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis.
Blending bioethanol with petrol will help extend the life of the UKs diminishing oil supplies and ensure greater fuel security, avoiding heavy reliance on oil producing nations. By encouraging bioethanols use, the rural economy would also receive a boost from growing the necessary crops.
Bioethanol is also biodegradable and far less toxic that fossil fuels. In addition, by using bioethanol in older engines can help reduce the amount of carbon monoxide produced by the vehicle thus improving air quality. Another advantage of bioethanol is the ease with which it can be easily integrated into the existing road transport fuel system.
In quantities up to 5%, bioethanol can be blended with conventional fuel without the need of engine modifications. Bioethanol is produced using familiar methods, such as fermentation, and it can be distributed using the same petrol forecourts and transportation systems as before.
The company now boasts 22 employees, including scientists, farmers, international businessmen, industrial workers and of course family.
GreenEnergy`s corporate mission aims to bring large tracts of rural land under scientific but basic cultivation of bio-fuel feedstocks, bringing with it employment and entrepreneurial opportunities to potentially thousands of Vietnamese rural poor, while providing inputs for GreenEnergy`s core business, the refining and marketing of bio-diesel.
It is a win, win situation for everyone because not only does cultivation of this vegetable oil require only marginally arable, war damaged or barren land, this also means its activities do not compete with other food production which avoids putting upward pressure on food prices.
N.B (Vietnamese Government has identified seven million hectares as marginal, barren or war damaged land).
In addition GreenEnergy`s operations achieve a renewable and sustainable fuel source for Vietnam to continue its development with all the attendant social, economic and environmental benefits in producing clean energy.
Because of the scale and potential of the bio-diesel industry in Vietnam and indeed globally, where tens of millions of bio-fuel crops will have to be grown to substantially replace fossil fuels, a ?second green revolution? is possible, bringing with it true improvement in the lives of the rural poor and vegetable oils can play a significant role in helping to ameliorate global warming as a key aspect of climate change.
Global warming, a key aspect of climate change, now clearly recognized as a result of a concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere - has the worst impact on the climate.
Carbon dioxide, the most common of GHGs, is emitted during the burning of fossil fuels.
The Kyoto Protocol gazetted in February 2005 requires participating countries to cut carbon emissions.
Further to this, rising crude oil prices and the need to reduce dependence on imported oil has made it necessary for net oil importers to think of alternative energy sources. The precarious situation with fossil fuel supplies coupled with the ability of bio-fuels to lessen that risk, makes it feasible for the global economy to revert its focus towards agriculture and those traditionally engaged in it, thus offering a potential boon to Vietnam's rural sector.
Full bio-diesel use would reduce net CO2 by over 78% compared to petroleum diesel and up to 16% with the use of blends comprising 20% bio-diesel.
While both fuels are almost equally efficient at converting raw energy resources into fuels, bio-diesel has a larger part that is renewable .Similarly, bio-diesel is non-toxic and environmentally friendly as it produces substantially less CO2, ensuring sustainable environmental practices.
GreenEnergy has recognized this mammoth task and has adopted a dual strategy for attaining its goals in Vietnam.
1.Public ? Aggressive initiatives to ?jump-start? the production side of bio-fuel feedstocks by forming a partnership with Vietnams Central Government and People's Committees as well as aid agencies to help put large tracts of marginal land under bio-fuel crop cultivation quickly.
A memorandum of understanding and support was signed by the Peoples Committee of Binh Dinh Province and Green Energy Vietnam on the 8th of December 2006 and the 500 hectare Binh Dinh Research and Training Facility for the Cultivation of Biofuel Feedstocks has been established, known as BDF- FARMER ENERGY- a working laboratory devoted to developing the bio-fuel industry for the benefit of Vietnamese rural poor.
2.Private ? Includes GEV investments to retain its ?First Mover? advantage by securing its proprietary feedstocks, expanding its physical plant refinery presence and continuing to build its integrated supply-chain, complete with forward contracted suppliers and customers.
It is in this first arena, Public Initiatives, that GreenEnergy sees co-operation with aid agencies.
Some of the substantial and sustainable benefits that the cultivation of bio-fuels crops can contribute to Vietnam are:
1. Real cash growth, raising the annual income of $820 to $1,300 U.S. for thousands of marginalized rural families.
2. Private homesteading for the rural poor.
3. Stress relief and barren or war damaged land reclamation.
4. Enfranchisement of poor, rural women.
5. Retention of scarce foreign currency reserves and
6. Independence from the uncertainties of global mineral oil markets.
The People`s Committee of the Province of Binh Dinh and GreenEnergy, Vietnam, in full realization of the enormous impact this Research and Training Facility will have for all of Vietnam`s rural communities, cordially invites any and all organizations seeking positive change in the livelihood of rural Vietnamese to form an active Partnership in the development of this Research and Training Facility.
The Binh Dinh Facility wants to be a catalyst in harnessing this opportunity for all stakeholders and delivering:
. A path for the rural poor to climb out of their deprivation rather than fall further behind.
. A renewable, sustainable and viable alternative to fossil fuel for Vietnam's surging economy. and an industry that rejuvenates, rather than degrades the environment.
Introduction to the oil plant Jatropha.
The oil plant Jatrophas curcas (L) (Jatropha) or physic nut, is multipurpose and drought resistant, growing to a height range of 2 to 7 metres for the Asian species and it not only flourishes in tropical and sub-tropical climate zones but even in areas absent of water.
Because its leaves and stems are toxic to animals it is often used as a protective hedge around farm houses, gardens and fields.
It also reduces soil damage caused by erosion from wind and water and traditionally the seeds were harvested by women for medical treatments and local soap production.
In Thailand, Jatropha normally flowers twice a year, in dry and rainy seasons with seed harvesting conducted approximately 60-90 days after flowering and the oil plant has a productive life of 20 years.
Because the market is probably not yet mature enough for the plant to generate enough income solely from oil extraction, a holistic rural development approach has to be taken into account in order to exploit all potential uses of the Jatropha plant. This approach is known as the Jatropha System.
The system focuses not only on the use of the source as a fuel, but rather as an element, to activate a system combining ecologic, economic and income generating activities.
Consequently, the Jatropha System offers four main aspects of development aiming to better the livelihoods in rural areas, especially for women and farmers:
. Renewable energy- bio-diesel
. Erosion control and soil improvement
. Promotion of women and
. Income generation.
About one-third of seeds can be extracted as oil that has a similar energy value to diesel fuel. The oil is extracted by hydraulic pressure and then filtered through an intensive sleeve that can then be readily used without any complicated refinery process, directly available for small diesel engines as a substitution for diesel oil, without engine modification.
This oil can power engines, such as water pumps, tractors, hand mowers, other farm machinery and rice milling machines and by using this domestically produced oil as a substitution for imported oil, significant cash savings can be made.
GreenEnergy Ltd have already committed a considerable amount of time, money and resources to this environmentally sound an economically sustainable project in Vietnam and welcome further input from other interested parties.
It is also their belief that at an international level, stakeholders involved should perform a three pronged approach, with mutual knowledge, technology transfer, genetic development of high oil content in the seeds and exchange of Jatropha species, together with investment and trade linkage.
Both Alisha Dhamani & Misty are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Alisha Dhamani has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Careers and Job Hunting and Health. Jigfo.com is a global platform for sharing and learning knowledge. For more information on this article topics visit:. Alisha Dhamani's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Misty has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wedding Invitation Ideas, Cars and Wedding Invitation Ideas. For further information on this renewable energy with great potential, please contact:??.?The second Green Revolution For further information on this renewable energy with great potential. Please visit. Misty's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.