Jatropha oil, a promising alternative energy<\/p>\n
Yuli Tri Suwarni
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Bandung<\/p>\n
Discovering an affordable and cleaner burning alternative energy
\nsource has long been the dream of industrial chemical engineer
\nRobert Manurung.<\/p>\n
Inspired by the difficulty of finding firewood in his hometown
\nin North Sumatra, the 50-year-old native of North Tapanuli set
\nout to find a cheaper energy source.<\/p>\n
In the next six months, the Bandung Institute of Technology
\nexpert just might realize his dream. Oil produced by the castor-
\noil plant, known locally as pohon jarak (Jatropha curcas L),
\nwhich Manurung has been studying for sometime, will on a trial
\nbasis replace diesel oil to generate electricity in East Nusa
\nTenggara.<\/p>\n
His discovery, called Jatropha oil, was greeted with pessimism
\nby several colleagues at the institute, some of whom said "it was
\nnothing new".<\/p>\n
"But that pessimism motivated me to keep studying until I
\nachieved real results," he said.<\/p>\n
It is true that Jatropha oil is not exactly new. When Japan
\noccupied the country, it used oil from the castor-oil plant to
\nlight up the night and to move its war machines. But after Japan
\nleft, the oil also disappeared.<\/p>\n
Castor-oil plants grow on parched land in East and West Nusa
\nTenggara and in parts of Java. In the traditional community, the
\nleaves of the plants are placed in water and used to fight
\nfevers. Some farmers in Java use the plants to separate their
\ncrops.<\/p>\n
From the grass family, the plant is between three meters and
\nfive meters high. The oil itself comes from the oval-shaped dark
\nseeds of the plant.<\/p>\n
Manurung's research on Jatropha oil was supported by the
\nMitsubishi Research Institute and the New Energy and Industrial
\nTechnology Development Organization, a Japanese government
\ninstitution that specializes in assisting research on new energy
\nsources as part of the Kyoto Protocol. The protocol requires
\nsignatories to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n
During research with his team, Manurung found a way to
\ntransform the oil from the castor-oil plant into a viable
\nreplacement for diesel oil.<\/p>\n
In the first phase, the seeds of the plant are put into a
\nmachine where they are peeled. They are then placed under extreme
\npressure to produce oil.<\/p>\n
"All the equipment is simple and the materials to make the
\nmachines are easy to find, so ordinary people can make the
\nequipment themselves. This oil can be introduced to remote areas,
\nwhere people can make the oil themselves for electricity
\ngeneration," he said.<\/p>\n
He said if the partial cracking process of the Jatropha seed
\nwas continued, it could also produce modified bio oil, an
\nalternative energy source that could replace kerosene.<\/p>\n
People would not need to replace their diesel engines to use
\nJatropha oil, which has very low emissions.<\/p>\n
The oil has attracted the interest of the Indonesian Farmers
\nAssociation.<\/p>\n
"It happens that I graduated with Manurung. This finding could
\nhave a positive impact on farmers and those living in remote
\nareas," said Mindo Sianipar, chairman of the association's food
\ncrops, horticulture, husbandry and freshwater fisheries division.
\nHe has regularly been spotted at events to promote the oil since
\nit was first introduced in February.<\/p>\n
Mindo said he planned to introduce Jatropha oil to some
\n158,000 rice mill businessmen across the country.<\/p>\n
"The use could be extensive because to mill paddy in an hour,
\nthey need between two and four liters of diesel oil for just one
\nmachine," Mindo said.<\/p>\n
East Nusa Tenggara Deputy Governor Frans Lebu Raya recently
\nvisited Bandung to express his province's interest in growing
\nJatropha.<\/p>\n
A kilogram of the plant's seeds can produce 3.5 liters of oil.
\nAccording to Manurung's calculations, a liter of Jatropha oil
\nwould be about Rp 2,250 cheaper than a liter of diesel oil.<\/p>\n
"In a month, a farmer could earn Rp 1.2 million from selling
\nJatropha seeds if he had access to three hectares of unused
\nland," Manurung said.<\/p>",
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