Oil-based Biodiesel: The Advantages of Jatropha curcas, a Comparison |
Of all edible oils under development for biofuel, palm oil is the most promising, but the Oil Palm projects in South East Asia are experiencing bitter socioeconomic ramifications. As the most popular edible oil, the increased demand for palm oil for biofuels has forced commodity prices up. As a crop, the oil palm uses rich arable land that could be used to grow food. This diversion of resources is detrimental to the global food security. Rapid expansion of Oil Palm plantations by greedy farmers at the risk of endangering of rare species, deforestation and displacement of indigenous communities, have become a matter of grave concern. |
All other edible oil feedstocks, such as rapeseed and soybean, are subject to most, if not all, of the same criticisms raised against palm oil. All in all, using edible oils is resource-intensive and environmentally damaging ˇV it is a far less than optimal feedstock for eco-friendly biofuels. |
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Jatropha curcas is a fast-growing and poisonous plant, but it just happens to be the ideal solution to the global food and energy crisis. The advantages of Jatropha are that, |
- It is resilient to drought; can survive without water for 3 years
- It produces seeds with 35 ˇV 50% oil content, with potential for more
- It can produce seeds all year roundˇXafter its first yearˇXfor up to 50 years
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The ˇ§Convention on Biological Diversityˇ¨ issued by the United Nations in 1998, identified oil from Jatropha curcas as an excellent substitute for diesel oil. Crude Jatropha oil can be used directly in diesel engines or processed into a high efficient and emissions-reducing biodiesel. The oil also most closely resembles the chemical and thermodynamic properties of diesel: |
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Fuel Properties of Jatropha oil, Jatropha biodiesel and petrodiesel |
Property |
Unit |
Jatropha oil |
Jatropha biodiesel |
Petrodiesel |
Biodiesel Standards |
ASTM
D6751-02 |
DIN EN
14214 |
Density at 15˘XC |
kg/m3 |
940 |
880 |
850 |
-- |
860 ˇV 900 |
Viscosity at 15˘XC |
mm2/s |
24.5 |
4.80 |
2.60 |
1.9 ˇV 6.0 |
3.5 ˇV 5.0 |
Flash point |
˘XC |
225 |
135 |
68 |
>130 |
>120 |
Pour point |
˘XC |
4 |
2 |
-20 |
-- |
-- |
Water content |
% |
1.4 |
0.025 |
0.02 |
<0.03 |
<0.05 |
Ash content |
% |
0.8 |
0.012 |
0.01 |
<0.02 |
<0.02 |
Carbon residue |
% |
1.0 |
0.20 |
0.17 |
-- |
<0.30 |
Acid value |
mg KOH/g |
28.0 |
0.40 |
-- |
<0.80 |
<0.50 |
Calorific Value |
MJ/kg |
38.65 |
39.23 |
42 |
-- |
-- |
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Environmental Benefits of Biodiesel |
Relative Score |
Greenhouse Gases |
Particulates |
Nitrous Oxides |
Volatile Organic Compounds |
Carbon Monoxide |
Gasoline |
35 |
-70 |
-55 |
170 |
415 |
Ethanol E85 |
0 |
-75 |
-55 |
130 |
210 |
Petrodiesel |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Biodiesel B20 |
-15 |
-20 |
0 |
-10 |
-15 |
Biodiesel B100 |
-70 |
-55 |
5 |
-55 |
-45 |
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Palm oil prices are at US$1,248/MT (US$170/bbl) as of May'08, 39% higher than oil at US$122/bbl. |
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On the other hand, Jatropha oil can be priced at a competitive advantage to diesel because:
- Jatropha oil is toxic and is not used in any food products
- Jatropha can thrive in virtually any environment, so it does not need to compete with food crops for agricultural land
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Source: Jatropha Oil: Goldman Sachs, 2007; Mineral Oil: Average of Dated Brent, West Texas Intermediate, and Dubai Fateh; Palm Oil: Malaysia Palm Oil Futures; Soybean Oil: Chicago Soybean Oil Futures; Rapeseed Oil: fob Rotterdam.
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For these reasons, Jatropha oil price is independent of world food prices, making it profitable against diesel. Simultaneously, Jatropha curcas is a high-yield, low-cost crop. It yields four times as much fuel per hectare as soybeans can and more than ten times that of corn. It also requires less attention and resources to grow: |
Fewer Inputs:
- Less water
- Less fertilizer
- Less maintenance
- Not affected by animal or insect pests
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More Gains:
- Save on valuable water resources
- Less pollution by chemical fertilizers
- Save on human resources
- Higher yields of greater quality
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Jatropha is an ideal tool for environmental conservation: it regenerates topsoil and prevents soil erosion. The plantation also acts as a carbon sink, creating negative carbon emissions, and makes Jatropha biofuel carbon neutral. Carbon emissions can be reduced by as much as 90% and sulfur emissions by 100%.
Other uses for Jatropha include: |
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These additional uses of Jatropha curcas make the economics of Jatropha biodiesel even more attractive. There is no other cost-effective, eco-friendly and non-agricultural biodiesel feedstock like Jatropha curcas. |
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