MOU signed for cultivation of Jatropha in Pakistan

Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and Kijani Energy (KE), a sustainable energy company of Canada, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to focus on the development of large-scale cultivation of Jatropha Curcas L (Jatropha), which was an environmentally and cost-effective source of bio-diesel.

Chairman, PARC Dr. Zafar Altaf and Vice President KE Junaid Mirza signed the MoU. Dr Shahid Ahmad, Member Natural Resources Division; Dr Muhammad Munir, Member Plant Sciences Division and Dr Khalid Mehmood, PSO witnessed the signing of MoU.

Under the agreement both the organizations would jointly work for the promotion of Jatropha cultivation to develop bio-fuel culture in Pakistan. Objectives of the MoU was to undertake Jatropha cultivation in mass scale, to investigate the potential of Jatropha, including on marginal and semi-marginal lands with the consideration that such areas should not have been used for food agriculture in the last five year period, and educate farmers and industry with the benefits of growing and processing Jatropha.

Highlighting the objectives of the agreement the PARC chief said Pakistan was facing serious energy crisis, meeting its energy and transport requirements by importing fuel. Pakistan was spending about $3.1 billion on the import of petroleum products. “These imports account for almost 85 percent of Pakistan’s total consumption of fuel and almost one-third of Pakistan’s trade deficit,” he maintained. With the cultivation of Jatropha as bio-fuel the country would be able to save as much as $150 million in foreign exchange for every hectares of Jatropha cultivated in Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion Junaid Mirza of the KE Canada said his company would invest $150 million during the next five years for cultivation and production of Jatropha. The feasibility reports of Cholistan and Thar areas had been conducted and found ideal locations for cultivation of Jatropha. He said the areas identified were mostly not being used for food agriculture.

CDGK to grow Jatropha plants

By: Syed Intikhab Ali | Published: July 14, 2009

KARACHI - The Forest Department, in collaboration with Pakistan Army, has successfully cultivated Jatropha plants used to obtain biodiesel fuel in various developing countries, sources revealed to The Nation on Monday.
Jatropha is cultivated in Mexico and Brazil and its oil is used produce bio-diesel to combat the increasing prices of petroleum.
The forest department initiated the cultivation on experimental basis four months ago in Malir Cantt. The seeds of Jatropha plants were given by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to forest department of CDGK, sources said.
The importance of Jatropha plant increased during 2007-08 when high prices of petroleum were increased manifold and developing countries started its cultivation to maintain the pace of their economic progress. Its cultivation is successful in arid areas and Sindh province is an ideal place for this purpose. The idea of cultivating Jatropha in Karachi was conceived by the DO Forests, who had approached PSO to get seeds of the plant, sources said.
Four months ago, the seeds of Jatropha were sowed on the land of Malir Cantt, and now around 3,000 plants making fast growth.
Sources added that due to the success of Jatropha plants on experimental basis, its fame spread among the farmers community.
The agriculturalists are interested to start its cultivation in their areas and many among them have approached forest department to get seeds of the plant and other details.
At present, the forest department has more than 10,000 saplings of Jatropha at its nurseries, which would be provided to the farmers and planted in other parts of the province.
The sources said that credit of achievement goes to the forest department and Pakistan Army, who took a bold decision at the right time without spending any funds.
Corps Commander Karachi has also visited the cultivated land in Malir Cantt and appreciated successful cultivation of Jatropha plant on Pakistani soil.
Currently the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used as bio-diesel in Philippines and Brazil, where it grows naturally. Likewise, Jatropha oil is being promoted as an easily grown bio-fuel crop in hundreds of projects in India and other developing countries, sources said.
Jatropha oil is significantly cheaper than crude oil.

ECC approves policy recommendation for use of biodiesel as an alternative fuel

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Federal Cabinet has approved the Policy for use of Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel in its meeting held on 15th February 2008. The Policy Recommendation was formulated by the Alternative Energy Development Board and marks achievement of another major milestone in the Alternative Renewable Energy Sector of Pakistan. Salient features of the approved Policy are as follows:

i) Ministry of Water & Power in coordination with AEDB shall be the apex coordinating and facilitating body for the national Bio-Diesel programme.
ii) Gradual introduction of bio-diesel fuel blends with petroleum diesel so as to achieve a minimum share of 5% by volume of the total Diesel consumption in the country by the year 2015 and 10% by 2025.
iii) Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to purchase Bio-Diesel (B-100) from Bio-Diesel manufacturers; and sell this Bio-Diesel blended with Petroleum Diesel (starting with B-5) at their Points of Sale.
iv) Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources shall come up with the fuel quality standards for B-100 and blends up to B-20.
v) OGRA shall regulate the pricing mechanism of various blends of Bio-Diesel (B-5, B-10 etc.) and ensure its cost-competitiveness with Petroleum Diesel.
vi) All imported plant, machinery, equipment and selective raw material, e.g. Jatropha, for use in production of Bio-Diesel shall be exempted from Customs Duty, Income Tax and Sales Tax.

Bio-diesel research begins in Pakistan

KARACHI, July 7: The Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has initiated research and development work on its bio-diesel project to meet government’s deadline of blending five per cent bio-diesel with conventional diesel by 2015 and 10 per cent by 2025.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had taken a decision on the issue in its meeting on Feb 15 in Islamabad.

Bio-diesel would be extensively tested in the auto industry of Pakistan, and depending upon its favorable results, scope of its supply would be extended throughout the country as a standard practice.

At PSO, after the production of bio-diesel from Jatropha oil, an in-house testing has already begun on one vehicle. However, results would be known later.

A PSO official involved in the project told Dawn that it would take some time to produce bio-diesel in Pakistan on such a large scale because it needs mass cultivation of Jatropha and other non-edible seeds for which commitment/concerted efforts of the government is required.

He said a separate department, alternative energy and new projects, has been established within the company to identify and take initiatives in terms of cheaper renewable and alternative energy projects and to address the country’s energy crisis and lessen the fuel import bill which would result in saving of precious foreign exchange.

PSO has selected only non-edible plants/seeds species, such as castor (Arind), Pongame (Sukh Chain), Jojoba, Jatropa (Karanga), etc., for production of bio-diesel. However, the company is currently focusing on Jatropha plant/seed for its better qualities as a substitute of petroleum diesel.

The officials added that many countries in Europe, US, Brazil, Malaysia, and India are using Jatropha as well as other edible and non-edible plants/seeds for production of bio-diesel.

The official said that out of these plants, Jatropha can be grown on marginal land, thus its plantation would not compete directly with other food crops, such as wheat, corn, sugarcane, rice and cotton besides helping in poverty alleviation and improving land utilisation.

Pakistan consumes approximately eight million tons of diesel per annum; of which around three million tons is imported.

There will definitely be incentives for consumers with regards to bio-diesel pricing, its effect on the environment and the vehicle performance, he said.

The official said that spiraling effect of fossil fuel prices world over continues to adversely affect economies of many countries.

This has provided incentives to search for alternative fuels derived from vegetable and non-vegetable oils, i.e. ‘bio diesel’, which offers several distinct advantages as an alternative fuel for diesel engines.

Economically it reduces imports and would afford improved security of energy supplies.

Jatropha Plantation

Introduction to Jatropha & Its Advantages

Jatropha

It is a perenial shrub suited to tropical and sub-tropical climates with 50 years life span. Jatropha starts bearing seeds after 2 years of planting. Seeds (with shell) have an oil content of 32% - 35%. About 3 Kgs of seeds give 1 Kg of oil. 1.05 Kg of oil is required to produce 1 Kg of biodiesel. Biodiesel produced from Jatropha oil can be blended upto 20% with petro diesel without modifying the engine. The oil companies have agreed to buy all the biodiesel produced in the country @ Indian Rs. 25.00 per litre at 20 locations in India.

Advantages of Jatropha

• Easy to establish, grows quickly, hardy and requires minimum care
• It grows in flood-free wasteland. In fertile land it gives higher yields
• Plantation of Jatropha in rural areas helps in:
  Employment generation
  Sources of alternate energy
  Increased earnings
• Plantations are long term and the plants have multiple uses
• Reclamation of wasteland and degraded land
• Suitable for preventing soil erosion including jhum fallows
• It is not a competitor to any crop; rather, it increases yield
• The micorrhizal value in Jatropha roots helps in getting phosphates from soil – a boon for acidic soil
• Improves soil fertility by fallen leaves throughout their life cycle
• Possesses medicinal as well as other multiple uses
• Generates net income for 30-35 years @ Indian Rs.10,000/acre/year approx. from 4th year onwards

Soil & Climate

• A tropical species – grows well in subtropical conditions
• It grows almost everywhere except waterlogged conditions and flood prone areas
• If the rising water table engulfs the major root system and continues for a considerable period, the plant is likely to die

Variety

• No recommended variety as yet for the north east region of India. However, the variety grown in NE India is found to be productive
• Female:male ratio of flower, which is indicative of productivity, is 1:12 compared to 1:16 to 1:20 in other states of India

Jatropha Planting Practices

Propagation: Propagated in mass scale both by seeds as well as stem
cutting

Seed rate: 2 – 2.5 kg seeds required per acre.

Planting: Spacing 3m x 2m.

Aftercare: 2 – 3 weedings are necessary.

Pruning: To give a bushy shape, plant should be trimmed during spring
(February-March upto 5 years). After that, plant should be
pruned back above ground level once in 10 years.

Manuring: While planting, compost @ 2 kg/ft. should be applied.
Depending on soil type NPK should be applied
near the crown following ring method.

Intercropping: Some shade-loving plants like Roulfia serpentina, Asparagus
racemosus, Kaemferia galanga, Homalomena aromatica,
Smilex china , etc. can profitably be grown under Jatropha.
Vanilla can also be cultivated under it successfully.

Economic Life & Yields

Economic life: The plant survives upto 50 years if root zone does not come in contact with rising water table and continues for longer time.
Normally, the economic life is considered to be 35-40 years.

Yield: Fruiting starts from 2nd year but commercial harvest is obtained from 3rd year only. Average seed yield of well grown Jatropha are as follows :

Year of Planting	Per Plant Yield Kgs	Per Acre Yield Kgs
2nd Yr - 3rd Yr	0.5 - 1.0	400
4th Yr	1.5 - 2.5	1500
5th Yr - 10th Yr	2.5 - 5.0	2600

The economics of plantation for the North Eastern Region of India will be shortly added.

How to Increase Profitability

Productivity & Profitability can be increased by

• Pruning main stem upon 1.5m growth for profuse branching and higher seed yield
• Foliar spraying with growth promoters for higher yield of seeds and oil
• Ensuring maximum exposure to sunlight for enhancing seed yield

Note: Jatropha should not be taken as highly profitable cash crop if the value of byproducts and other advantages are not considered.

Petra Group and Bill Clinton announce jatropha biofuel plan for West Indies

Petra Group, a clean energy technology-focused conglomerate based in Malaysia, plans to create a jatropha plantation in the West Indies to support the biodiesel production facility it also intends to build in the region.

The company describes the initiative as part of a wide-ranging project started by the Petra Trust to create sustainable employment, wealth and eradicate poverty in the region through the establishment of jatropha nurseries, plantations and a biodiesel refinery.

Former US President Bill Clinton and Petra Group's CEO Vinod Sekhar, announced the commitment at the third annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York.The estimated cost of the initial five-year programme is $130 million (€92 million).

Petra Group and the governments of the West Indies, starting with St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana, will establish a new venture to manage, administer and benefit from the biodiesel project.

This central body will develop the business plan, select property, commission the plant, distribute the seeds, and manage transportation, aiming for phased development of jatropha plantations.

BP biofuels head eyes jatropha, butanol

BP Plc is focusing on developing jatropha and butanol for sustainable biofuel output, its head of biofuels said on Tuesday, as the industry faces mounting pressure for its environmental and social impact.

Philip New, president of BP's Global Biofuels division, said that although the firm were major users of ethanol, there was now scope to use supplements such as butanol which is similar to gasoline but can be made from biomass.

"Butanol appears to have the best balance of attributes: more energy efficiency, easier to blend and easier to transport," New told in an interview.

He said the firm was counting on the oilseed plant jatropha, a woody plant that can grow on barren, marginal land, as it seeks to develop more distinctive and sustainable technologies.

"Jatropha plays into that because it's not a food source. It's delinked from fuel prices and we're excited about its ability to be grown on marginal land," New said.

"When I see jatropha being intercropped with cabbages and other foodstuffs, it does feel like it is something that can be grown sustainably in lots of developing world environments."

But experts and industry officials have warned that jatropha does not offer an easy answer to biofuel's problems, because it can be toxic and yields can be unreliable.

New said more traditional forms of biofuels, such as bioethanol from sugar cane, were likely to remain the main sources in the short to medium term.

"ABSOLUTELY VALID"

"It feels as though biofuels made from sugar cane will be an important part of the mix for the foreseeable future."

New defended the biofuels industry against recent criticism that it had raised food prices and could also harm the environment.

"Biofuels done well are absolutely valid green fuels," he said.

"Bioethanol made from rain-irrigated Brazilian cane can generate greenhouse gas savings of 85 percent. There are also examples of biofuels done badly. But this is a complicated world, and it's a shame to categorise it all as one."

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food recently described it as a "crime against humanity" to convert food crops to fuel and called for a five-year moratorium on biofuels.

But New said he was optimistic that the biofuels industry could be developed in such a way that it was able to live side by side with the food industry.

He said the firm was looking at a range of technologies aside from jatropha and butanol, including algae.

"Algae looks like a very promising technology," New said.

Algae converts carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, into a vegetable oil.

It does not need prime farmland, vast quantities of fertiliser, or large harvest vehicles to be grown and harvested, unlike corn, one of the feedstocks for ethanol.

BP and D1 Oils form jatropha biodiesel feedstock JV

LONDON (ICIS news)--BP plans to form a joint venture with biofuels firm D1 Oils to speed up the planting of jatropha trees, a feedstock for biodiesel production, the energy giant said on Friday.

Over the next five years the 50/50 joint venture D1-BP Fuel Crops would invest around $160m (€119m) on planting over 1m hectares of the oilseed bearing plant, BP said.

D1 Oils planned to include 172,000 hectares of existing plantations in India, southern Africa and southeast Asia as part of its investment, while BP would gain exclusive access to the seedlings produced by D1’s plant science programme.

“As jatropha can be grown on land of lesser agricultural value with lower irrigation requirements than many plants, it is an excellent biodiesel feedstock,” said head of BP Biofuels Phil New.

“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,” he added.

BP said D1-BP Fuel Crops would concentrate on cultivating the crops in southeast Asia, southern Africa, Latin America and India, expecting to produce up to 2m tonnes/year of jatropha oil once the plantations were established.

Earlier this week BP announced its first foray into biofuels production with plans to build a bioethanol plant and a biobutanol demonstration facility in the north of England.

D1 Oils is a UK-based biodiesel producer established in October 2004. It reported an operating loss in 2006, with high feedstock prices reducing margins.

What Is Jatropha - Find out more about Jatropha - a biofuel crop

Jatropha Curcas is an excellent biofuel crop which has many other advantages over existing crops.
The biofuel yield of various crops has been measured, and is usually given in barrels of oil per square mile per year. Corn is a common biofuel crop in the USA, but it yields under 200 barrels (per square mile per year). Rice for example yields almost 1000 barrels, however it is an essential worldwide food crop as are most of the other potential biofuel crops.
It is simply not viable to use good quality arable farmland for growing biofuels, biofuel crops need to be grown on marginal land if we are to benefit from them. This is where Jatropha scores highly. Not only does it have a great yield of well over 2,000 barrels of oil per square mile per year, it also increases the fertility of the land on which it is grown so that it can potentially be used for food crops in subsequent years.

Jatropha is perennial which can grow in arid conditions (even deserts), on any kind of ground, and does not require irrigation or suffer in droughts. Therefore unlike the common biofuel crops of today (corn and sugar), they are very easy to cultivate even on poor land in Africa providing great social and economic benefits for that region.

Jatropha is fast growing and it begins yielding oil in the second year and for the next forty to fifty years. Optimal yields are obtained from the sixth year, and spaced at 2 metre intervals, around 2500 plants can be cultivated per hectare. Jatropha absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and therefore earns carbon credits.

Find out more about Jatropha and its use as a biofuel here with our guide to the facts and figures about Jatropha.

Myanmar outlines alternative energy strategy

MYANMAR: Myanmar plans to cultivate jatropha on 7 million acres of land as feedstock for biodiesel plants around the country as part of a move to diversify into alternative energy sources, Director General of the Energy Department U Soe Myint said at a forum held in Singapore.

Each of the seven states and seven divisions in Myanmar is expected to plant jatropha on 500,000 acres of unused land and build their own biodiesel processing plants, Myint said, adding that a large portion of the biodiesel produced is likely to be exported to other countries.

Myanmar will also be investing in hydropower and wind energy projects. The junta-led government had earlier indicated plans to implement six hydropower projects with a total capacity of more than 4,000 MW in the country's Shan and Kachin states to help meet the country's power demand.

Poison plant could help to cure the planet

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