Ethanol agenda.

[Willi]

Gonsalves attacks ethanol agenda

Friday, November 09, 2007


Gonsalves...that is why the price of beef gone up, the price of chicken gone up, the price of milk, the price of cheese

The prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines has voiced concerns about the development of biofuels as a replacement for petrol.

Dr Ralph Gonsalves condemned what he called the mad haste around the world to use corn to feed vehicles rather than poor people.

He said the chain reaction set off by such action was contributing to higher food prices.

Fears about climate change have fuelled a boom in biofuels, which has diverted some food crops, like corn and sugar cane, into fuel production.
But some experts say that by this method, biofuels potentially compete with food production, threatening higher food prices.

Last month, a UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler, called for a five-year moratorium on biofuels, saying it was a "crime against humanity" to convert food crops to fuel when nearly a billion people were hungry in the world.

It is a point with which Dr Gonsalves has some sympathy.

In a speech in Kingstown, he placed part of the blame for rising food prices on the United States where corn growing is predicted to soar to meet ethanol production targets.

Leading Force
Dr Gonsalves said this has led to US price rises in corn fed to cattle and poultry.

"That is why the price of beef gone up, the price of chicken gone up, the price of milk, the price of cheese and it (has) gone up because there is a mad haste in the world to use corn to feed vehicles rather than feeding poor people."

Cuba and Venezuela have been among the chief Caribbean and Latin American critics of biofuels.

That pits them against Brazil, which is a leading force in promoting crops as alternative energy sources as a way of reducing greenhouse gases and providing a new source of income for developing nations.

Brazil uses sugar cane to produce ethanol and has pledged to help cash-strapped sugar-producing Caribbean nations to do the same.

While he focused on the US role, the message of Dr Gonsalves appears to be one of caution in expanding the biofuels agenda.

[Karl]

Does this mean 'nuff-nuff' more sugar and corn needs to be grown? ...and, 'quick-quick'?

[Willi]

Corn is UNECONOMICAL at the moment. Just the US Govt subsidies giving it a push. Sugar is already profitable on the open market as a ethanol source.

Reason being: the large corn stalk presently is not convertible, though there is talk about new enzymes, etc. Sugar cane by volume is almost all convertible, so has a built in advantage. Even if they come up with the new enzymes, it will likely work on the cane husk and make it even more convertible (nearly 100%).

The added advantage is that sugar cane is a grass, not "food" but a food additive with even cheaper substitutes. Cane for ethanol does not threaten food security, CORN does.

Jamaica should quiclky convert canefields to ethanol AND encourage local corn production for import substitution (prices now high). Wheat...no chance as it does not grow well in jam.

I read where they say that there are even better produce to grow for bio-fuel than the castor oil that Bruce is touting, as Cator has other valuable industrial uses. I cant say for sure.

[Hortical]

One disadvantage of ethanol I have heard is that it takes 25% more volume than gasoline to generate the same amount of energy. Jamaica really needs to move fast on this and convert our electrical power plants to ethanol as well. We can also tap into some of the technology developed in Brazil over the decades.

[Willi]

One disadvantage of ethanol I have heard is that it takes 25% more volume than gasoline to generate the same amount of energy. Jamaica really needs to move fast on this and convert our electrical power plants to ethanol as well. We can also tap into some of the technology developed in Brazil over the decades.

And then there is bio-diesel!

With the advent of clean diesel engines that are efficient and quiet (Eurpean common rail technology and Corning glassware exhaust filters), diesel appears to be the fuel of choice for powering ground transportation in the short to medium term.

Diesel has 20-30% more BTU than equiv. petrol and the engines tend to be 15% more efficient.

Here is a possible bio-diesel source for Jamaica to exploit!
Jatropha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jatropha

Spicy jatropha (Jatropha integerrima)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamily: Crotonoideae
Tribe: Jatropheae
Genus: Jatropha
Species
Approximately 175, see Section Species.
Jatropha is a genus of approximately 175 succulent plants, shrubs and trees (some are deciduous, like Jatropha curcas L.), from the family Euphorbiaceae. Jatropha is native to Central America [1], and has become naturalized in many tropical and subtropical areas, including India, Africa, and North America. Originating in the Caribbean, the jatropha was spread as a valuable hedge plant to Africa and Asia by Portuguese traders. The mature small trees bear male and female inflorescence, and do not grow very tall.
The hardy jatropha is resistant to drought and pests, and produces seeds containing up to 40% oil. When the seeds are crushed and processed, the resulting oil can be used in a standard diesel engine, while the residue can also be processed into biomass to power electricity plants.[2]
Goldman Sachs recently cited Jatropha curcas as one of the best candidates for future biodiesel production.[3] However, despite its abundance and use as an oil and reclamation plant, none of the Jatropha species have been properly domesticated and, as a result, its productivity is variable, and the long-term impact of its large-scale use on soil quality and the environment is unknown. [1]
Contents
[hide]
1 Vegoil and biodiesel
2 Species
2.1 Gallery of Buddha Belly plant (Jatropha podagrica)
3 Synonyms
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
[edit]Vegoil and biodiesel

Main article: Jatropha oil


Jatropha curcas seedlings in a greenhouse in Nicaragua

Currently the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used for making biodiesel fuel in Philippines, promoted by a law authored by Philippine senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Miguel Zubiri. Likewise, jatropha oil is being promoted as an easily grown biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India and other developing countries. [1] [4] The rail line between Mumbai and Delhi is planted with Jatropha and the train itself runs on 15-20% biodiesel. [1] In Africa, cultivation of jatropha is being promoted and is grown successfully in countries such as Mali. [5]
The plant can grow in wastelands, fertilises the soil that it grows in, and yields more than four times as much fuel per hectare as soybean; more than ten times that of corn. A hectare of jatropha produces 1,892 liters of fuel (about 6.5 barrels per acre).[6]
Jatropha can also be intercropped with other cash crops such as coffee, sugar, fruits and vegetables.[7].
[edit]Species



Jatropha multifida
Species of Jatropha include:
Jatropha cuneata limberbush, whose stems are used for basketmaking by the Seri people in Sonora, Mexico, who call it haat [?aat]. The stems are roasted, split and soaked through an elaborate process. The reddish color dye that is often used is made from the root of another plant species, Krameria grayi.
Jatropha curcas, also called physic nut, is used to produce the non-edible Jatropha oil, for making candles and soap, and as a feedstock for producing biodiesel. Prior to pressing, the seed can be shelled with the Universal Nut Sheller which reduces the arduous task of removing the seeds from the shell. This is historically done by hand. Once the seeds have been pressed, the remaining cake can be used as feed in digesters and gasifiers to produce biogas for cooking and in engines, or be used for fertilizing, and sometimes even as animal fodder. The whole seed (with oil) can also be used in digesters to produce biogas. Extracts have an anti-tumor activity. The seeds can be used as a remedy for constipation, wounds can be dressed with the sap, and the boiled leaves remedy malaria and fever. Large plantings and nurseries have been undertaken in India by many research institutions, and by women's self-help groups who use a system of microcredit to ease poverty among semi-literate Indian women.
Jatropha gossypifolia, also called bellyache bush: its fruits and foliage are toxic to humans and animals. It is a major weed in Australia.
Jatropha integerrima Jacq., or Spicy jatropha: ornamental in the tropics, continuously crimson, flowers almost all year.
Jatropha multifida L., or coral plant: bright red flowers, like red coral, charactertised by strongly incised leaves.
Jatropha podagrica or buddha belly plant or bottleplant shrub was used to tan leather and produce a red dye in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. It is also used as a house plant.
[edit]Gallery of Buddha Belly plant (Jatropha podagrica)

Trunk at Kolkata, West Bengal, India


Leaves & flowers at Kolkata, West Bengal, India


Fruit at Kolkata, West Bengal, India


Flowers at Kolkata, West Bengal, India

[edit]Synonyms

This genus is also known as:
Adenorhopium Rchb.
Adenoropium Pohl
Castiglionia Ruiz & Pav.
Collenucia Chiov.
Curcas Adans.
Jatropa Scop., orth. var.
Loureira Cav.
Mesandrinia Raf.
Mesandrinia Ortega
Tempate El Salvador; Nicaragua
Zimapania Engl. & Pax

[edit]See also


Energy Portal
Jatropha In India
[edit]References

^ a b c d Fairless D. (2007). "Biofuel: The little shrub that could - maybe". Nature 449: 652-655.
^ Poison plant could help to cure the planet Times Online, 28 July 2007.
^ Jatropha Plant Gains Steam In Global Race for Biofuels
^ http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.o...5-37AD534D033F
^ "Mali’s Farmers Discover a Weed’s Potential Power", New York Times, September 9, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-21. “But now that a plant called jatropha is being hailed by scientists and policy makers as a potentially ideal source of biofuel, a plant that can grow in marginal soil or beside food crops, that does not require a lot of fertilizer and yields many times as much biofuel per acre planted as corn and many other potential biofuels. By planting a row of jatropha for every seven rows of regular crops, Mr. Banani could double his income on the field in the first year and lose none of his usual yield from his field.”
^ Michael Fitzgerald (December 27, 2006). "India's Big Plans for Biodiesel". Technology Review. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
^ Jatropha for biodiesel
[edit]External links


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Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links.

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Jatropha
Jatropha Facts and Figures
An Integrated Approach of Rural Development in Tropical & Subtropical Countries.
BBC News website article re. Jatropha and biofuels
Times Online Article
Brazil Opens its First Commercial Jatropha Biodiesel Facility
Biodiesel producers in Africa.
Agroils
Jatropha Plant Science
Categories: Wikipedia external links cleanup | Euphorbiaceae | Energy crops