Doubts raised on jatropha use as car fuel

The government should consider jatropha methyl-ester (JME) for industrial use, according to the Asian Institute of Petroleum Studies Inc. (AIPSI).

AIPSI managing director Rafael Diaz said jatropha has a strong potential as an industrial fuel, both for bunker and coal fired power generators.

Diaz noted that diesel engines (especially high-tech engines) are very discriminating in quality, thus biodiesels must be fully supported with technically documented test data from reputable testing institutes.

“There is not a single technically document test data on jatropha that had been published as yet. The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers (CAMPI) and the major oil companies will certainly not accept JME as blend to diesel without properly documented and proven test data,” Diaz said.

“The government on the other hand can never endorse JME if they cannot defend it with proof of documented test data, Diaz added.”

Diaz noted that jatropha biodiesel is similar to rapeseed, canola, and soybean in terms of level of unsaturates. They are all highly unsaturated and, thus, their oxidation stability is very much less than the standard six hours for fossil diesel.

According to Diaz, the Japan Automotive Manufacturers Association (JAMA) had recently specified a minimum of 10 hours oxidation stability to accept biodiesel. Only coco-biodiesel more than surpassed this requirement with 16 hours.

The AIPSI official said “the jatropha initiative must be continued as a means of greening idle, barren, and denuded government lands.”

He pointed out that limiting the planting of jatropha to barren lands will ensure that it does not affect the environment nor compete with food crops for space.

Jatropha, he said, must be directed for industrial application as heating fuel (i.e. boiler fuel or furnace fuel) rather than as biodiesel for the quality-discriminating diesel fuel and diesel engine.

Diaz noted that the jatropha seed alone has a heat value almost similar to bituminous coal so the seed can be a good blend to coal. It is sulfur free and will provide oxygen to the coal blend for cleaner burn.

He said that this is conditioned on a proof that burning jatropha seed or oil will not produce toxic emission. Jatropha has poisonous element called “curcin” which can cause death when ingested and it must be determined if curcin will develop toxic emission when combusted in the engine.