Towards a village-scale biodiesel processing of Jatropha curcas in the Philippines
Issue Date
4-2008
Abstract
The potential commercial production of Jatropha methyl ester (JME) or biodiesel in the Philippines has gained much interest from both local and foreign investors due to the perceived low feedstock cost. Since the production of biodiesel from the oil of Jatropha curcas in the Philippines is relatively new, processing was studied to evaluate many technical aspects, including the investment requirement for village-scale production. Results indicate that in JME production, oil-to-alcohol-to-catalyst ratio ranges from 1:8:0.2 to 1:8:0.5, with reaction time ranging from75 minutes to 4 hours. Methyl or ethyl esters produced range from 98.03 to 99.42% pure, for beyond the proposed Philippine National Standard (PNS) of 96.5%. Volumetric productivity per ton of seed is estimated to be 266 to 310 L of Jatropha biodiesel for seeds containing 30 to 35% oil, respectively. The capital requirements for establishing a basic 1000-L-per-day village-scale Jatropha biodiesel plant is estimated to be ₽4.5 million. Aside from the potentials, the paper also points out several concerns about Jatropha biodiesel production in the country.
Source or Periodical Title
Philippine Journal of Crop Science
ISSN
0115-463x
Volume
33
Issue
1
Page
59-68
Document Type
Article
Frequency
tri-quarterly
Physical Description
tables, chart
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Demafelis, Rex B., "Towards a village-scale biodiesel processing of Jatropha curcas in the Philippines" (2008). Journal Article. 4406.
https://www.ukdr.uplb.edu.ph/journal-articles/4406