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Dar researchers make breakthrough in use of Jatropha plant to solve energy crisis
2006-04-07 09:04:54
By Ludger Kasumuni, writing for JET
Housewife Mwanaidi Salum of Dar es Salaam’s suburb of Vingunguti complains of the rising cost of living because of the soaring prices of charcoal since the government imposed a ban aimed to conserve trees.
Mwanaidi now uses firewood to cook the family’s daily meals in the unplanned Vingunguti settlement.
Researchers at the new College of Engineering and Technology (CoET), University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), say that Jatropha, a tropical plant can provide an alternative source of energy through processing of bio-fuels from its seeds.
Many ordinary people may be amazed by the contention that bio-fuels and bio-diesels can be extracted from the seeds of Jatropha, but the researchers have found that such kind of bio-energy can act as a catalyst for reforestation and reduced energy prices.
The random survey carried out in Dar es Salaam shows that a bag of charcoal is sold between 15,000/- and 17,000/- instead of the old price of 10,000/-.
The electricity provided by the sole public utility firm, TANESCO, is also not affordable to many people, even those earning more than 200,000/- per month.
If one speeds more than 200 units of electricity per month, TANESCO charges not less than 20,000/-.
Apart from electricity, kerosene for candles and diesel for generators are also expensive as the former is sold at 900/- per litre, while the latter is sold at 950/- per litre.
Even the same researchers say that they cannot afford to use neither diesel generators nor TANESCO electricity for cooking.
Prof. Aggrey Nzali, the Dean of Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Systems at UDSM, says that embarking on a big project for cultivating Jatropha and processing of bio-diesels is the viable solution for the skyrocketing energy costs.
’In tropical countries like ours this type of plant, which is also known as aqua-resistant or drought resistant, can flourish very well. There is no doubt that we cannot embark on a big Jatropha project,’ Prof Nzali says.
He says farmers growing Jatropha can begin to harvest the oil seeds after three years of planting and the trees can last for 50 years, before replenishment.
Dr Oscar Kabazohi of the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering says that he has successfully supervised the research on processing of bio-diesel from plant seeds of Jatropha and palm oil seeds.
’The University of Dar es Salaam has already produced experts for working in the factories for processing of bio-diesels and bio-fuels. What we need is to mobilise stakeholders for embarking on this kind of project commercially,’ says Dr Kibazohi.
Prof. Nzali says the country is able to embark in this project provided that there is strong government commitment and collaboration among stakeholders.
’If we embark on this project in fact we will kill two birds by a single stone in that we will be protecting the environment through reforestation at the same time reducing the cost of energy and poverty,’ he says.
Research has revealed that Jatropha is very popular in many American, European and Asian countries like U.S.A, Canada, U.K, Germany, Italy, France, Czech Republic, Japan, India and Malaysia, where bio-diesels and bio-fuels are also popular.
’If you happen to go to Germany, you will see numerous petrol stations selling kerosene and diesels extracted from Jatropha,’ says Prof. Nzali.
’The quality of bio-diesel sold in Germany in fact is better than the normal fossil diesel,’ he adds.
Moreover, Prof. Nzali says that Tanzania can emulate India, which has begun a big project for mass cultivation of Jatropha and commercial production of bio-diesel in collaboration with the U.K investors.
According to an online U.S magazine, Green car Congress, the State Bank of India has signed a contract with the government of U.K for a big Jatropha project worth 40m USD.
Under the project, the Indian company, Di Mohan Bio Oils Ltd, has a plan of investing in cultivating 40,000 hectares of Jatropha in the state of Tamil Nadu.
The Indian project aspires to produce between 100,000 and 120,000 metric tonnes of Jatropha oils in a year from 40,000 hectares of Jatropha trees.
Last year the same company had begun to implement a project for planting 100,000 hectares of Jatropha.
It is also envisaged that in a span of three years India will be able to produce bio-diesel for satisfying local demand and exporting a quarter of local supply.
While Jatropha is gaining popularity globally, in Africa there is no country embarking on bio-diesel project based on vegetable oil seeds like Jatropha, says Prof. Nzali.
Scientists say that the origin of Jatropha curcus is in Brazil and Mexico, but as a tropical plant it can grow very well in African continent.
Dr Kibazohi says that in Tanzania the plant has been used in some areas for fencing the pastureland and extracting traditional medicines.
According to bio-technologists, the process of producing bio-fuels and bio-diesel from vegetable oil like Jatropha seeds is referred to as transesterification.
Under this process, they say alcohol (usually methanol) is used as reactant.
On his part, Dr Kibazohi says that their research findings have found that bio-diesel is the most advantageous source of energy in terms of environmental, health, social and economic aspects.
As regards environmental and health advantages, the UDSM research report show that bio-diesel as renewable energy has net zero carbon dioxide (a global warming gas) emission and that unlike in petroleum diesel, contains very little amount of sulphur that produces poisonous gas Sulphur Dioxide.
Sulphur Dioxide, according to health experts causes respiratory diseases and acid rains.
Other merit is that unlike petroleum diesel, bio-diesel molecules contain oxygen, hence the combustion is more efficient and exhaust gases contains less particles and black smoke.
Emissions of un-burnt hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide from an engine using bio-diesel, are far less than those of an engine using petroleum diesel, say researchers.
In terms of economic and social advantages, the UDSM says that bio-diesel is good for increasing the pace of economic growth through saving foreign currencies and raising standard of living.
According to their findings, Tanzania spends more than 200 USD of its foreign currency on imported mineral fuels.
’Producing our bio-diesel will reduce expenditure on foreign currency, and the saved money can be used for other development projects,’ say UDSM researchers.
According to them, bio-diesel has big potential of providing employment opportunities in industries producing bio-diesel and bio-fuels.
They further state other merit that production of bio-diesel will provide a new cash crop for African agricultural sector, including Tanzania for poverty reduction.
The UDSM researchers further say that bio-diesel has technical advantages in that it can be used in all compression-ignition engines in diesel powered cars, trucks, tractors, boats, shipping equipment, irrigation systems, mining equipment and electric equipment.
In this regard, Prof. Nzali says that the Jatropha project can fit very well under the National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction (MKUKUTA), as is alternative source of raising income and combat deforestation.
Already Tanzania has been losing 92,000 hectares of natural forests annually due to massive use of charcoal and indiscriminate tree-felling, according to the Chairman of the Tanzania Association of Foresters, Dr Felician Kilahama.
Dr Kilahama says the rate of replenishment of forests is only 25,000 hectares in a year against that big figure of deforestation.
Dar es Salaam alone, according to researchers, consumes 20,000 tonnes of charcoal in a day by destroying hundreds of hectares of natural forests.
On the other hand, the Lawyers Environmental Action Team (LEAT) says that although Tanzania has numerous legal instruments for protecting environment, most of the laws are still not enforceable.
Despite the fact that Tanzania has ratified a number of international conventions like the 1992 Rio Convention on biodiversity and the 2002 Convention on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, still environmental problems like deforestation and destruction of wetlands are taking high toll.
But researchers on bio-diesel are optimistic that the problem of desertification and growing poverty can be successfully solved through large-scale cultivation of Jatropha with commercial processing of bio-diesel and bio-fuels.
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