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Govt moves to revive plan to make biodiesel
The government has formed a committee to study the possibility of making biodiesel from jatropha seeds.The government has formed a committee to study the possibility of making biodiesel from jatropha seeds.
Jatropha oil, which is extracted from the seeds of the plant known locally as sajiban or kadam, is superior to other oils. The plant has a short gestation period, is easy to handle and yields a large quantity of oil which can be converted into high quality biodiesel to power diesel engines.
The Ministry of Supplies has formed a six-member panel to examine the possibility of producing biodiesel from jatropha seeds to mix with regular diesel, Joint Secretary Uttam Prasad Nagila said.
The team led by Nagila includes representatives from the Science and Technology, Population and Environment ministries and the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC).
According to experts, over 500,000 hectares of unused land in Nepal can be used to grow jatropha to produce biodiesel and reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels.
Jatropha is highly resistant to drought, thrives in arid areas and requires as little as 30 litres of water monthly during the dry season. Animals do not eat this plant so it is safe from them.
The plant produces oil-bearing seeds within six months of planting and can last over 30 years without replacement when managed properly. Its seeds contain 30 percent more oil which can be easily expelled and extracted. The fuel produced from jatropha is less polluting compared to fossil fuels, experts said.
Nagila said the ministry had formed the study team after holding preliminary talks with farmers. According to him, jatropha farming is done in a number of districts in the Mid-Western Region like Salyan, Jajarkot and Surkhet. “As jatropha can grow on land that has no access to irrigation, there is a possibility of cultivating it even on barren land,” he said.
A study conducted by the AEPC has also shown that there is a high potential for commercial farming of the plant in Dhangadhi, Palpa, Siraha, Chitwan, Okhaldhunga, Morang, Bara and Parsa districts.
Giving an instance of international practices, Nagila said the government was considering mixing up to 20 percent biodiesel with regular diesel. “Apart from reducing carbon emission, it will also help cut the country’s petroleum import bill,” Nagila added.
This is not the first time that the government has moved to conduct such studies. Earlier, Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) had on two occasions formed teams to study the feasibility of mixing ethanol with petroleum products.
Similarly, the government had talked about using oil extracted from plants in its budget statement two years ago to slash the country’s soaring gasoline import bill.
Previously, a taskforce formed by the National Planning Commission had also suggested granting subsidies to farmers to encourage commercial cultivation of jatropha besides establishing a separate entity to promote biofuel.
According to figures released by the Trade and Export Promotion Centre, Nepal spent Rs112.16 billion on importing petroleum products last year, equivalent to almost 15 percent of the country’s total import bill.
According to an NOC official, there is a need to develop the necessary infrastructure if the government is to achieve success in producing biodiesel.