Archer Daniels Midland Company, Bayer CropScience and Daimler to Cooperate in Jatropha Biodiesel Project
09 January 2008
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), Bayer CropScience AG and Daimler AG plan to jointly explore the potential for a biodiesel industry based on Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.).
In this project, the companies are seeking to develop production and quality standards for Jatropha-based biofuel. ADM is running several biodiesel refineries worldwide. Bayer CropScience plans to develop and register herbicides, soil insecticides and fungicides for disease and pest control of Jatropha plants.
At the end of last year, Daimler AG completed a wide-ranging five-year research project which demonstrated that Jatropha can be used and cultivated to obtain high-quality biodiesel and studied the use of this fuel in test vehicles. The company will continue to explore the interactions between fuel and engine in vehicles powered by Jatropha biodiesel and mixtures of this and other fuels.
Alternative fuels are an integral part of our roadmap towards sustainable mobility. Our research activities within the last years have proven for example, that Jatropha biodiesel can be produced with quality similar to biodiesel from oil seeds. Now, it is time to evaluate the commercial potential of Jatropha biodiesel.
—Prof. Dr. Herbert Kohler, Vice President Vehicle and Powertrain, Group Research and Advanced Engineering and Chief Environmental Officer of Daimler AG
Jatropha is a &ldqou;wild plant”, and therefore it has never been professionally cultivated. Recent studies show a potential of approximately 30 million hectares of land on which this plant could be grown, especially in South America, Africa and in Asian countries such as China, India or Indonesia. Since Jatropha can be cultivated on barren land, it does not compete for land that is being used for food production, and thus provides farmers with an additional source of income.
Jatropha originates from Central America, and was transported to Africa and Asia by Portuguese sailors on their voyages round the world. It is a hardy, drought tolerant plant and can be cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions, and even on degraded soil. It requires very little water or fertilizer. The plant is an excellent source of renewable energy because its seeds contain more than 30% oil. Furthermore, it is excellent for preventing soil erosion caused by water and/or wind. Jatropha can be maintained economically for 30 to 40 years.
I see corporate philanthropy, well thought out, as having an important role to play in sustaining the economy they operate in. Call it enlightened - none of us operate in a vacuum.
Many of these marginal lands in the tropics are water deficient and as a consequence of low rainfall the nutrient status is often high. Low demand as little competition so low inputs.
The harvestable portion is presumably the nut and at a sufficiently high concentration to justify transport to central processing. This is the case also with coconut which has similar comercial values.
The economics and scale will be largely affected by harvesting costs.
Wether mechanical? or free dropping or As per a previous commentater, wages slave or child? How does this crop get harvested?
My guess is that locals will benifit and another feedstock will add to the fuel supply with byproduct spinnoffs as yet to be discoverd.
Posted by: arnold | 09 January 2008 at 05:12 PM
define 'barren'...
how 'barren' is 'barren' ?
is the Artic 'barren' ?
is the 'desert' 'barren' ?
is anywhere 'barren' ?
never no mind the ecosystems that exist in the 'barren' lands in favor of biodiesel MB's ?
Bayer pesticides, herbicides & fungicides already on the way ?
is this progress, regress, or more of the same, the continuous destruction of the planet in exchange of a few gold coins ?
Posted by: socrates | 09 January 2008 at 06:51 PM
Jatropha is a very good plant for this use. Like the article says, it can be grown on marginal land and can be used to suppliment the income for poverty stricken areas.
It produces a fairly high grade oil. Supposedly the seeds contain 40%. This is a non-edible oil. I'm not even sure that the plant is used for food. The oil is already in use and I remeber seeing a patent for a jatropha oil stove for cleaner cooking in impoverished areas.
It is not really cultivated. There exists a wide genetic variety between the various places where the plant has been transplanted. Work has to be done to develope higher yielding lines. As long as they don't try to patent the whole species aka RiceTec and Basmati rice, there is room enough for all for work to be done on all the various strains for all the conditions. As long as something as stupid as roundup ready isn't applied i'm ok.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatropha
Posted by: aym | 09 January 2008 at 07:38 PM
While the vast majority of discussions regarding the cost structure and economic models for the production of SVO or Bio Fuel are very focused on the linkage between mineral crude oil prices, it is as well to take note of the over arching number of mandates that have been enacted at national and international levels that demand the inclusion (blending) or direct use of biologically produced liquid fuels into the framework of delivery to end users. There is no mandate that states that bio fuels should be a least cost option. In fact it is clear that the cost and market price of inclusions into the liquid fuel market is peripheral to the over all international goals related to rural pro poverty reduction policy in advanced region as well as sub tropical regions and, the reduction of anthropogenic green house gases. If and where agricultural endeavour meets and exceeds these goals the costs of doing so are acceptable. The demand for blending in most countries is pretty easy to work.
Posted by: Dr Clive Richardson | 09 January 2008 at 11:40 PM