permaculture

[CAVM@aol.com]

from the May 08, 2007 edition -  
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0508/p01s03-wosc.html
Former weed may fill  world's fuel tanks
 
In the world's most arid agricultural environments, jatropha is emerging as  
an alternative to ethanol.
By Mark Sappenfield | Staff writer of The  Christian Science Monitor

JAGDALPUR, INDIA
In an overgrown  corner of Moolchand Sethia's plantation, runty and unloved, 
stands what could be  the next revolution in the world's search for renewable 
fuel. 

>From  China to Brazil, countries have begun setting aside tens of thousands 
of acres  for the cultivation of jatropha – a plant many experts say is the 
most promising  source for biodiesel. At the same time, companies from Europe 
and 
India have  begun buying up land throughout Africa to establish jatropha 
plantations. 

As American farmers plan to plant the most corn since World War II to  cash 
in on ethanol, which is added to gasoline, much of the rest of the world is  
turning to jatropha, which is used as a substitute for diesel fuel. 
The two  are not competitors, since neither can be used in the other type of 
fuel. But  jatropha is fast emerging as a candidate for the ideal biofuel. It 
is grown in  wastelands, needs relatively little care or refinement, and is 
inedible –  meaning it will not take food from the poor for the gas tanks of 
the 
rich. 

But Mr. Sethia's modest plantation is a reminder that jatropha has a  long 
way to go. Although Sethia's home state of Chhattisgarh has been one of  
India's 
leading jatropha promoters, industries say it could be years before they  
begin production here. Until then, Sethia laments, the $1,500 he has invested 
in  
jatropha has been wasted. 

Globally, experts worry that the story could be similar. Lured by  jatropha's 
potential, nations and corporations have acted rashly, coming to the  "idea 
that it is the final answer for many problems," says Kees Daey Ouwens of  
Fuels 
from Agriculture in Communal Technology (FACT) in Eindhoven, The  
Netherlands. 
It could be. But it is too early to tell. "Jatropha is very  promising," he 
says. "But there is not enough information … to start on such  large scales." 

There is no estimate as to how much jatropha is being cultivated  globally, 
but anecdotal evidence suggests that the trend is accelerating: 
•  The government-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) is planning 
to  have 80,000 acres of jatropha in Sichuan Province alone by 2010. 
• Renova  Biodiesel of Brazil is expected to plant 60,000 acres of jatropha, 
and reports  suggest that other oil companies are considering planting nearly 
500,000 acres  in the next four years. 
• D1 Oils, a British company that is considered by  many to be the leader in 
jatropha cultivation, has plantations from Swaziland to  Indonesia, and hopes 
to nearly double its 385,000 acres of jatropha worldwide by  the end of 2008. 
• The Philippine National Oil Co. recently earmarked $14  million for 
jatropha planting and production, while Indonesia plans to set up 52  
biodiesel 
plants across the country at a cost of $7.3 million. 
The cause of  the excitement is both environmental and economic. The European 
Union has  mandated that by 2020 all cars must run on 20 percent biodiesel, 
which burns  cleaner than fossil fuels. A 1998 study, jointly sponsored by 
the 
US Department  of Energy and the Department of Agriculture, concluded that 
biodiesel reduces  net carbon-dioxide emissions by 78 percent compared with 
petroleum diesel. 

Meanwhile, Asian economies are desperately seeking natural resources to  
support their growth. India, for example, imports 70 percent of its fuel, and 
 its 
planning commission has prioritized the study of domestically grown biofuels  
in an attempt to become more self-sufficient. 

Jatropha is a natural answer. The leafy bush thrives in arid regions  around 
the equator, has no use as food, and takes little refinement: a hydraulic  
press to squeeze the oil from the seeds, and a chemical solution to create 
and  
filter the fuel. When the necessary infrastructure is in place – sufficient  
farms, transport routes, and processing plants – jatropha oil could be no 
more  
expensive than regular diesel. 

"In 10 years, the production prices will not be much different," says  Mr. 
Daey Ouwens.

Along with several other states, Chhattisgarh has responded with  massive 
planting campaigns and incentives for farmers, including 500 free  saplings. 
Sethia received a $250 loan for planting jatropha, as well as a  commendation 
from 
the state. The problem is, there's no market here in the  Indian outback. 

The state says it will buy the seeds, which then must be crushed to  create 
the oil. But Sethia says he would need to take his harvest to the  capital, 
which is a half-day drive, at least. The cost of getting them there  would 
outstrip any possible profit. 

Then there's the fact that jatropha needs more care than he had  anticipated. 
He has let most of his crop fend for itself. After two years, the  plants are 
knobby fingers less than a foot tall. A few plants, however, he  planted in a 
ruddy dirt embankment near a seasonal pond and tended regularly.  Their leafy 
branches arch higher than Sethia himself and are already yielding  seeds. 

Right now, he says, the economics don't work. "But if there is a  
[processing] plant nearby, farmers will grow it, because there is the 
assurance  that 
they will be able to sell it," he says. As it is, he knows of only one  other 
person in the district growing jatropha. 

For their part, oil industries are interested in building processing  plants. 
But it will be several years before there is a critical mass in  Chhattisgarh 
– about 50,000 acres – to justify the costs. "That has to come up,"  says B. 
B. Choudhary of Indian Oil. "It has not yet." 

Yet there is also a danger in industries pushing too fast, experts say.  
Jatropha cultivation is so new that scientists know little about it, such as  
ideal conditions for growth, susceptibility to disease, or expected yields 
per  
acre. Some critics even suggest that toxic strains of the plant can cause 
health 
 problems for workers. 

The Energy and Resources Institute in Delhi has set up plantations  across 
India to study these issues for British Petroleum. In four years, all  these 
knowledge gaps will be filled in, argues Alok Adholeya, who manages the  
program. 

He advises farmers like Sethia to remain patient: "If they are patient  
enough, they will find some buyers very soon, because the message is getting  
out." 
 



************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.