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Cebu Pressed to Become Biodiesel Producer
THE PHILIPPINES - If only Filipino farmers were open to planting jatropha and learn how to manage the crop while the government expands jatropha plantations, Cebu would definitely have its own biodiesel supply.If jatropha will be grown in the targeted 5,000 hectares within the year, the crops that take some three years to mature will be able to produce 15,000 metric tons of oil, which Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC)-Alternative Fuels Corp. president and chief executive officer Peter Anthony Abaya said could be a major contributor to Cebu’s economy, reports Sun Star.
Apart from positioning jatropha as a potential replacement for coconut as biodiesel, PNOC is also studying the plant’s potential as “supplemental coal” for coal-fired power plants because its seed cake has oil content.
“A coal-fired power plant will have to use coal. Most likely, they can use the husks or biomass of jatropha, which has almost the same (component) as coal and I know it will be cheaper than coal. We already tested it in coal-fired power plants with Napocor and Tokyo Electric,” Abaya said.
He added that PNOC will continue its research and development studies on jatropha, which promises more income for farmers since it is a multi-product crop.
PNOC, he added, will have a program to keep the prices of biodiesel stable so that they will not move with the prices of petroleum.
Oil companies are presently forced to blend coconut with diesel because it is the only thing available for biodiesel.
“But the law defines coconut biodiesel as a transitory or transition feedstock. It is only waiting for its replacement. What it is
waiting for is jatropha, which is cheaper, has good characteristics and reduces air pollution,” Abaya added.
He cited that the particulate matter in the air in Metro Manila significantly dropped by 25 percent since the implementation of the Biofuels Law in April 2007, which mandated the blending of one percent of biodiesel in all diesel products sold in the country.
View the Sun Star story by clicking here.
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