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Farmer turns to fruit tree to power tractors A fruit tree called jatropha can be used to make clean biodiesel, experts say Florida farmer says high diesel costs are killing farmers Scientist on jatropha: "It is a superior oil" Currently, one plant produces only enough for two gallons
By Rich Phillips CNN
LABELLE, Florida (CNN) -- Bryan Beer, a citrus grower in southwestern Florida, sees himself as a bit of a pioneer. He's not digging for gold. It's more like he's planting for oil.
He is planting a jatropha tree, a plant that can produce diesel fuel and could one day power a 747. His plans are a little less ambitious; he just wants to plant enough to run his tractors.
"Any kind of relief or help we can get from a cheaper source of oil could impact the agricultural industry tremendously throughout the country, throughout the world," said Beer, whose family has been growing citrus for decades.
Jatropha means "doctor food." It originated in South America, where it was once used for medicinal purposes. There are three seeds within the golf-ball-sized fruit. When pressed, its oil can be used as fuel in any standard diesel engine with zero processing, experts say.
Sound like a pipe dream? It's not.
It's being taken very seriously by companies all over the world, including the Chrysler motor company and Air New Zealand. The airline is planning a test flight in November in Auckland in which jatropha biodiesel will be mixed with diesel fuel.
This is what has farmers, scientists and engineers excited. Watch jatropha fruit as a dream fuel »
"It is a superior oil," said Roy Beckford, an agricultural scientist with the University of Florida.
Air New Zealand says the quality and quantity of the product may be so good that the airline could run the test flight without having to mix the jatropha biofuel with any normal aviation fuel.
Beckford said countries like China, India and Brazil have planted millions of acres of jatropha, but the United States has yet to make that sort of investment.
"We are way, way behind these people," he said. "But certainly we have the ability, and we have shown that over and over again that we can beat people on technology and applying that technology."
Beckford has been experimenting to see how the tree grows best. He says jatropha can be grown in soil that is not suitable for most food crops.
"Even under harsh drought conditions with minimal amount of water or moisture, it will survive," he said.
Jatropha is being tested in nurseries and farms, primarily in Florida and Hawaii, to see if it can be used as a viable alternative biofuel nationwide. Caribbean nations have used jatropha for years as biofuel and a home-made medicine to treat constipation and inflammation, Beckford said.
He says jatropha would probably never be the main biodiesel crop but should be added into the mix of biodiesel crops. "It think it's going to be part of the equation."
Beckford's research is done on a small patch of land in Fort Myers, Florida, where 176 seedlings were planted last year. Some are fertilized; some are not. Some are exposed to insects, and some plants are scattered around the foundation of an old home.
Beckford showed how the jatropha plant thrived right in the middle of the foundation, within the dirt and rocks.
He and his researchers believe that U.S. technology will aid in the growth of the trees. Currently, each tree yields only about two gallons of oil a year.
"In the next four or five years, I think we'll increase not only the fruits per jatropha tree, but we'll also increase the amount of oil in each of those seeds," Beckford said.
Right now, biodiesel is a growing industry but hasn't made an appreciable dent on the global dependence on heavy crude oil, from which diesel fuel is processed. Watch skyrocketing fuel prices are killing farmers »
The National Biodiesel Board says that less than 1 percent of the 60 billion gallons of diesel fuel used each year comes from biodiesel, most of it produced from soybeans, animal fats and recycled oil. But, the board says, the 20 million gallons of diesel fuel saved from these alternative fuels was the equivalent of eliminating the emissions from 700,000 cars.
Some consumer groups say it's unrealistic to think that biofuel will replace oil totally. Experts also say the potential savings here may be offset by higher prices somewhere else as farmers use their more crop land to experiment with alternative fuel crops.
"There are implications to dedicating more and more crop land to fuel production rather than food production," said Tyson Clocum of the consumer watchdog group Public Citizen. "That comes in the form of tighter supplies for food production, and that leads to higher prices."
Beer says he's not looking to abandon his family's citrus business. LaBelle Grove Management has been around for more than 40 years. He's currently farming 30 acres of jatropha, compared to 2,500 acres of citrus.
Beer is trying to figure out how he's going to afford to put diesel in his heavy equipment. He has four tractors that each run on 120 gallons a day.
"We have to have these machines running. If we don't have these machines running and we don't have diesel fuel, we don't produce our crops," he said.
So, for now, Beer is taking a stab at growing his own fuel. Jatropha won't be a replacement crop for him, but it may help him fill up his tractor.
"To be a better America, we are going to have to have a secondary source besides oil," he said.
CNN's Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.
-------------------- When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross. Sinclair Lewis Posts: 2166 | From: St. Louis | Registered: Feb 2005
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Has anyone grown any of these trees before or been in areas that have been growing them?
Posts: 2619 | From: ca. | Registered: Jul 2005
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Look, the oil is in a seed. Its a fruit tree. Needs time to produce fruit. Needs someone to process the oil. Its a seed....not a grape. How much is it really worth looking into? I give it 2 thumbs up for the thought and 2 thumbs down for mass producing.
Posts: 1480 | From: Detroit | Registered: Mar 2005
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quote:Originally posted by R1 Man: Look, the oil is in a seed. Its a fruit tree. Needs time to produce fruit. Needs someone to process the oil. Its a seed....not a grape. How much is it really worth looking into? I give it 2 thumbs up for the thought and 2 thumbs down for mass producing.
Actually, if you read the article , I believe it says that no processing is required for the oil. Must be a pretty pure grade to begin with.
-------------------- When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross. Sinclair Lewis Posts: 2166 | From: St. Louis | Registered: Feb 2005
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what i find inttersting is that this plant can be grown where nothing else of value will grow.
this is critical to the economy. we cannot continue to divert food to fuel.
Cultivation is uncomplicated. Jatropha curcas can grow in wastelands and grows almost anywhere, even on gravelly, sandy and saline soils. It can thrive on the poorest stony soil and grow in the crevices of rocks. Complete germination is achieved within 9 days. Adding manure during the germination has negative effects during that phase, but is favourable if applied after germination is achieved. However, it is usually multiplied by cuttings, because this gives faster results than multiplication by seeds. The flowers only develop terminally, so a good ramification (plants presenting many branches) produces the greatest amount of fruits. Another productivity factor is the ratio between female and male flowers within an inflorescence (usually about 1 female to 10 male flowers - more female flowers mean more fruits)[9]. Jatropha curcas thrives on a mere 250 mm (10 in) of rain a year, and only during its first two years does it need to be watered in the closing days of the dry season. Ploughing and planting are not needed regularly, as this shrub has a life expectancy of approximately forty years. The use of pesticides and other polluting substances are not necessary, due to the pesticidal and fungicidal properties of the plant.
While Jatropha curcas starts yielding from 9–12 months time, the effective yield is obtained only after 2 - 3 years time.[10]
If planted in hedges, the reported productivity of Jatropha is from 0.8 kg. to 1.0 kg. of seed per meter of live fence. The seed production is around 3.5 tons / hectare (Seed production ranges from about 0.4 tons per hectare in first year to over 5 tons per hectare after 3 years).
Oil content varies from 28% to 30% and 94% extraction, one hectare of plantation will give 1.6t (metric tonne) of oil if the soil is average.
a metric tonne of deisel is is about 850 liters which is only about 225 gallons... that comes to about 90 gallons of deisel per acre...
this about the same as soy deisel at 98 gallons per acre...
but that doesn't have to go to a refinery like soy does... in '06 total world soy deisel production was about 6 million tonnes..
there are millions of acres from the MS River/Gulf of Mexico to the pacific that grow nothing but weeds.
also? the fungicidal and pesticidal properties may be able to be easily isolated from the oil and form a secondary or even be the primary value of the crop.
-------------------- Of the People, by the People and For the People. Posts: 27932 | From: USA | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by glassman: what i find inttersting is that this plant can be grown where nothing else of value will grow.
this is critical to the economy. we cannot continue to divert food to fuel.
Cultivation is uncomplicated. Jatropha curcas can grow in wastelands and grows almost anywhere, even on gravelly, sandy and saline soils. It can thrive on the poorest stony soil and grow in the crevices of rocks. Complete germination is achieved within 9 days. Adding manure during the germination has negative effects during that phase, but is favourable if applied after germination is achieved. However, it is usually multiplied by cuttings, because this gives faster results than multiplication by seeds. The flowers only develop terminally, so a good ramification (plants presenting many branches) produces the greatest amount of fruits. Another productivity factor is the ratio between female and male flowers within an inflorescence (usually about 1 female to 10 male flowers - more female flowers mean more fruits)[9]. Jatropha curcas thrives on a mere 250 mm (10 in) of rain a year, and only during its first two years does it need to be watered in the closing days of the dry season. Ploughing and planting are not needed regularly, as this shrub has a life expectancy of approximately forty years. The use of pesticides and other polluting substances are not necessary, due to the pesticidal and fungicidal properties of the plant.
While Jatropha curcas starts yielding from 9–12 months time, the effective yield is obtained only after 2 - 3 years time.[10]
If planted in hedges, the reported productivity of Jatropha is from 0.8 kg. to 1.0 kg. of seed per meter of live fence. The seed production is around 3.5 tons / hectare (Seed production ranges from about 0.4 tons per hectare in first year to over 5 tons per hectare after 3 years).
Oil content varies from 28% to 30% and 94% extraction, one hectare of plantation will give 1.6t (metric tonne) of oil if the soil is average.
a metric tonne of deisel is is about 850 liters which is only about 225 gallons... that come to about 90 gallons of deisel per acre...
but that doesn't have to go to a refinery like soy does... in '06 total world soy deisel production was about 6 million tonnes..
this about the same as soy deisel at 98 gallons per acre...
there are millions of acres from the MS River/Gulf of Mexico to the pacific that grow nothing but weeds.
also? the fungicidal and pesticidal properties may be able to be easily isolated from the oil and form a secondary or even be the primary value of the crop.
Also keep in mind, the fruit/seed/oil yield can be increased thru hybrids and other horticultural manipulations. So those production yields could be much higher at a future date possibly.
-------------------- When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross. Sinclair Lewis Posts: 2166 | From: St. Louis | Registered: Feb 2005
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ya wanna know something sick? here's a biodesiel yeild list; check out the number two producer, which is really number one since algae farms are not yet a reality:
Yield
Feedstock yield efficiency per acre affects the feasibility of ramping up production to the huge industrial levels required to power a significant percentage of national or world vehicles. Some typical yields in cubic decimeters (liters) of biodiesel per hectare (10,000 square meters):
* Algae: 2763 dm^3 (liter) or more (~1,800 gallons per acre; est.- see soy figures and DOE quote below) * Hemp: 1535 dm^3[43] * Chinese tallow: 772 dm^3[44] - 970 GPa[45] * Palm oil: 780 - 1490 dm^3 [46] * Coconut: 353 dm^3[46] * Rapeseed: 157 dm^3[46] * Soy: 76-161 dm^3 in Indiana[47] (Soy is used in 80% of USA biodiesel[48]) * Peanut: 138 dm^3[46] * Sunflower: 126 dm^3[46]
(Divide by 1.53 to convert liter per hectare to gallons per acre)
notice that soy is among the lowest producer on that list, yet we use it only because we already have the eqpt to harvest and plant it on a large scale..
-------------------- Of the People, by the People and For the People. Posts: 27932 | From: USA | Registered: Sep 2003
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Here's another possible future source of bio-diesel I had posted on another thread.
Lab makes renewable diesel fuel from E. coli poop Some biotech laboratories are using bacteria to create a form of diesel fuel "Production facilities" are so small, you can see them only under a microscope Bacteria are fed plant material, or sugar, and excrete the equivalent of diesel Experts say the process is still too small-scale to be a viable energy alternative
By Marsha Walton CNN
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California -- Fossil fuels that keep our planet running -- oil, natural gas and coal -- were created from the decomposition of plants, plankton and other organic material over millions of years.
Scientists all over the globe today are working to create fuels with the same properties, but without that pesky 100 million-year wait. And "renewable petroleum" is now a reality, on a small scale, in some laboratories.
The biotech company LS9 Inc. is using single-celled bacteria to create an oil equivalent. These petroleum "production facilities" are so small, you can see them only under a microscope.
"We started in my garage two years ago, and we're producing barrels today, so things are moving pretty quickly," said biochemist Stephen del Cardayre, LS9 vice president of research and development.
How does it work? A special type of genetically altered bacteria are fed plant material -- basically, any type of sugar. They digest it and excrete the equivalent of diesel fuel.
Humans have used bacteria and yeast for centuries to do similar work, creating beer, moonshine and, more recently, ethanol. But scientists' recent strides in genetic engineering now allow them to control the end product. Watch the fuel-making process at work »
"So these are bacteria that have been engineered to produce oil," del Cardayre said. "They started off like regular lab bacteria that didn't produce oil, but we took genes from nature, we engineered them a bit [and] put them into this organism so that we can convert sugar to oil."
The company is focusing on diesel fuel, but the microbes also can be "programmed" to make gasoline or jet fuel.
The bacteria used is a harmless form of E. coli. And the feedstock, or food for the microbes, can be any type of agricultural product, from sugar cane to waste such as wheat straw and wood chips. Choosing plants with no food value sidesteps one of the biggest criticisms of another synthetic fuel, corn ethanol, because critics say corn should be used as food, not fuel.
It takes a lot of microbe poop to fill a gas tank, however. Biofuel experts tell CNN that processes like those used at LS9 are scientifically viable, but there's still a long way to go before they can address global energy needs.
"Scalability is really the critical issue," said Robert McCormick, principal engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Colorado. "If you've got something that you can make work in a test tube, that's good, but you've got to be able to make it work on a very large scale to have an impact on our petroleum imports."
But del Cardayre says his product has other benefits over traditional fossil fuels.
"What we've done is make the same molecules from renewable sources, so that it can go into the existing infrastructure, be made domestically, and in an environmentally friendly way. That's the goal," he said.
The LS9 product does not have the cancer-causing benzene that is in other fossil fuels, and has far less sulfur, he said.
LS9 President Bob Walsh says that using existing petroleum pipelines is critical. Ethanol, for example, requires its own distribution system because it can corrode oil pipelines.
"You can't put ethanol in a pipeline, [and] even your car needs some adjustments to it; whereas the product we're making is going into the existing system, and that's a big difference," he said.
LS9 expects to be in large-scale commercial production in three or four years. But del Cardayre is the first to admit that microscopic oil fields are not a silver bullet for the world's energy woes.
"I doubt we're going to completely eliminate our dependence on oil, but we'll certainly be able to supplement the amount of oil we need in the short term," he said.
While energy researchers are spending tens of millions of dollars in venture capital, NREL's McCormick believes that "just making more" is not enough.
"I think that the answer to reducing our petroleum-import problem and reducing the carbon emissions from transportation is really threefold," he said. "It involves replacement fuels like biofuels, it involves using much more efficient vehicles than we use today, and it involves driving less."
One thing that McCormick and del Cardayre agree on is that energy research is a great place to be these days if you are a scientist.
"The fun of the challenge from the science perspective is that you do have farmers and biologists and entomologists, and biochemists and chemical engineers, and process engineers and business people and investors all working to solve this, and it ranges anywhere from a political issue to a technical issue," del Cardayre said.
"Honestly, I couldn't think of a more exciting thing to work on as a scientist or technologist right now," said McCormick, a chemical engineer. "Part of the excitement comes from the fact that this is such a complex problem, it can't be solved by a farmer or an ag expert, and it can't be solved by a chemical engineer or a chemist.
"We all have to pool our various talents and training and try to come up with a whole new system of producing energy," he said. "And the current energy price environment has made literally everyone interested in replacements for petroleum."
-------------------- When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross. Sinclair Lewis Posts: 2166 | From: St. Louis | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by R1 Man: Look, the oil is in a seed. Its a fruit tree. Needs time to produce fruit. Needs someone to process the oil. Its a seed....not a grape. How much is it really worth looking into? I give it 2 thumbs up for the thought and 2 thumbs down for mass producing.
Actually, if you read the article , I believe it says that no processing is required for the oil. Must be a pretty pure grade to begin with.
When I said processing...It does need it. Someone has to extract the seed from the fruit then extract the oil from the seed. So that is processing. I didn't say anything about it needing refined.
Glass....the Algae is interesting. Why don't they use it? Algae grows everywhere.
Posts: 1480 | From: Detroit | Registered: Mar 2005
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algae growing would be a huge infrastructure investment... i assume it's not just any old algae so it would also require intense cultivation to keep "infection" from unwanted algaes out... water-birds like ducks and herons would carry them for instance...
DOE reports suggest that an area the size of the state of MD should be able to supply 100% of US needs for oil... however, i'm not sure that is for gasoline, i think its just #2 heating and deisel...
-------------------- Of the People, by the People and For the People. Posts: 27932 | From: USA | Registered: Sep 2003
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These seeds appear to be fairly easy to process into fuel might even set up my own machinery for that if everything works out with the growing end.
My biggest concern so far was to make sure this seed has been inspected in the US before planting.
The plants themselves seem to be able to grow most anywhere i will see.
It is turning into a rather interesting venture the more i am getting into it, but you never know where these things will end up for me, not much into it at this point except time.
The husk that shells the seed might have some energy value in it also.
Posts: 2619 | From: ca. | Registered: Jul 2005
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I have been searching all over for the so called non toxic variety. The internet talks about them yet i go in circles trying to find anyone that sells seed.
They even have pictures of farmers growing the non toxic jatropha in Mexico but i do not see them eating any, i am beginning to believe it might be a Bigfoot story... Sorry Bigfoot Posts: 2619 | From: ca. | Registered: Jul 2005
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The real catch 22 on this product is that some guys are starting to grow it in many parts of the country but when they get the crop in a few years they will probably have no where to sell it for a decent price.
Until there is enough growers in the US no one will want to set up a factory to process it.
My guess is that exporting the seeds to process them will be to costly to make any money for the growers thus a real catch 22.
The only reason i would even consider growing this crop at this time is because i am pretty sure i can build the machinery to process smaller amounts if need be.
Posts: 2619 | From: ca. | Registered: Jul 2005
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these guys might be able to help you find the non0-toxic if they exist...
they also claim to have frost resistance. which many do not:
http://www.ameramexinternational.com We also distribute Agrichar. In tests, Agrichar increases corn growth by 880%! We will send you video showing test/results. Call us for details and a quote. Amera Mex is also setting up global distribution for NON TOXIC Jatropha and cattle feeds.
For information, please contact me at the number below 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST or email me to the address below and tell us about your company. Thank you.
Amera Mex International Inc. Bob Parsons (905) 272-2667 Website: http://www.ameramexinternational.com Email: b.parsons*ameramexinternational.com
if it sounds too good to be true? (you know the rest)
-------------------- Of the People, by the People and For the People. Posts: 27932 | From: USA | Registered: Sep 2003
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I kinda thought that if they were out there it would be fairly easy to have found them on the internet to buy.
Posts: 2619 | From: ca. | Registered: Jul 2005
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Iwish? have you looked at the Chinese Tallow tree? it's considered a noxious pest, grows readily in USDA zone 7 and up and it significantly out-produces Jatropha and soy... Ben Franklin supposedly even sent seeds around to his friends...
I contacted that company and they say 18 months before they have seeds. I wonder if they really have anything going on... oh well.
It appears some other company is also suppose to be setting up some processing plants here in CA.
But then again i would think that they would wait to have large amounts to process before they sink big amounts of money into a large processing plants.
I think right now many people are waiting to see if this takes hold then there ready to jump in.
The up side to this whole thing is that i really think the big oil companies have shot themself in the foot when they got so greedy.
Now i think there may be many jumping into this market in big and small ways which eventually should send prices of gas down...lets hope so.
Posts: 2619 | From: ca. | Registered: Jul 2005
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I have talked to a few universities that have indivuals growing jatropha they are liking the results.
There sure are quite a few companies building processsors for all sized operations.
California still appears to have laws that do not allow much biodiesel to come on the market not a good state at this point for processing it unless done for yourself or sending it to another state. This might not be wise cost wise anyhow.
The tree i liked the best at this point with all things considered is the moringa tree, rather an interesting tree but rather ugly.
Posts: 2619 | From: ca. | Registered: Jul 2005
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