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Feature
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Written by Sabrina Deparine
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Monday, 12 July 2010 14:28 |
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Page views: 1946 |
The Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) show its full support on the Philippine Biofuel Law and on the Alternative Fuels Program by launching a new facility for the production of biodiesel.
 The said facility is dedicated for the pilot production and testing of biodiesel produced from jatropha curcas. Jatropha curcas is locally called "tubing bakod". It is sustainable source of renewable fuel as it grows sporadically as abandoned crops.
The facility is located in the DOST Compound in Bicutan, Taguig. It occupies an area of 140 square meters and has a decorticating machine, oil expeller, filter press, boiler, neutralization tanks, transesterification equipment, separate broiler and a waste water treatment tank. Some of these equipment are imported from India.
For the pilot production, approximately two metric tons of jatropha curcas seeds were utilized to produce about 12.83% to 22% jatropha oil. The oil was then processed to Jatropha Methyl Ester (JME) which gave an 85% to 89% yield. Right now, tests are being conducted on blending JME with diesel.
The production of JME gives pressed cake and glycerine by-products that can be developed to other products of high-value. For instance, pressed cake can be used as a natural fertilizer if it is combined with bone meal and coir dust. It can also produce clean gas and fuel composite. Glycerine, on the other hand, can be further refined to industrial-grade components.
ITDI is hoping to make this facility more accessible to the public. The agency is currently coordinating with the Metals Industry Research and Development Center
(MIRDC), also an arm of DOST, to produce a local prototype of the jatropha oil expeller. In turn, MIRDC is tapping local fabricators to assist in creating the prototype. If more jatropha processing equipment are developed locally then more communities will benefit from it.
The jatropha oil production project was conducted in collaboration with the Philippine National Oil Corporation-Alternative Fuels Corporation (PNOC-AFC) and the Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD).
For its part, the PNOC-AFC is focusing on increasing the supply of jatropha. It currently has its eyes on planting jatropha seeds on 7,000 hectares of land all over the archipelago to ensure the sustainability of jatropha supply. |
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