GM Partners with U.S. Department of Energy to Develop Jatropha-to-Biodiesel
Project in India
|
|
|
General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy announce a partnership
Tuesday, 30th March, 2010 to help develop the potential of the jatropha plant as a sustainable biofuel energy crop.
Traditionally considered a weed, jatropha plants produce an oil that can be refined into biodiesel. The goal of the
project is to demonstrate that jatropha can produce significant quantities of oil for conversion to biodiesel and to
develop new varieties of the plant that have high yields, can withstand frost, and grow in temperate climates such as
the United States. The drought-resistant, non-edible plant can be grown commercially with minimal care on marginal land.
Pictured here - a worker shows the seeds of Jatropha seeds at the Sun Biofuels Company in Gondola, Manica province of
Mozambique.
|
|
|
Home >
News >
General Motors
31st March, 2010
General Motors (GM) has announced a five year partnership with
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help develop the potential of the jatropha plant as a sustainable
biofuel energy crop. Traditionally considered a weed, jatropha plants produce an oil that can be refined into
biodiesel.
The goal of the project is to demonstrate that jatropha can produce significant quantities of oil for
conversion to biodiesel and to develop new varieties of the plant that have high yields, can withstand frost,
and grow in temperate climates such as the United States. The drought-resistant, non-edible plant can be grown
commercially with minimal care on marginal land.
“Discovering new sources for biodiesel production is an important part of DOE research and development
efforts,” said Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. “The expertise of this team can help speed the pace for
the development of jatropha as a biofuel crop.”
Two jatropha farms will be established in India: a 16-hectare (39.5 acre) plot in Bhavngar and a 38 hectare
(93.9 acre) plot in Kalol, near GM’s India Car Manufacturing plant. An existing 30 hectare (74.1 acre)
jatropha farm in Bhavnagar also will be managed under this project.
Lab-optimised strains of jatropha, produced through selective and marker-assisted breeding, will be
cultivated at these farms. The joint DOE-GM funding will enable the Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research
Institute (CSMCRI) — an India-based research facility falling under Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India — to manage all of the 84 hectares (840,000 m2).
A complete lifecycle analysis will be conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts, starting with fertiliser
production from raw materials and ending with the harvesting of jatropha fruits.
|
|
|
Self-Catering Holiday
Accommodation in
Denmark, WA
..... more
|
|
|
“In the long term, if jatropha is commercially viable, it will reduce dependence on petroleum as well as
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote economic growth,” said Mike Robinson, GM Vice President of
Environment, Energy and Safety Policy. “It would also boost GM India growth plans with biodiesel-capable
products and reiterate GM India’s commitment to green technology and alternate fuel solutions to reduce
dependence on fossil fuel.”
GM has invested in next-generation ethanol start-ups Coskata Inc. and Mascoma Corp. Coskata recently
announced plans to join a consortium, in conjunction with GM’s Holden division, to study the construction of a
bio-ethanol plant in Australia. In addition to cellulosic ethanol, DOE and GM recognise the need to provide
bio-based diesel alternative fuels that can replace fossil diesel. A significant portion of the global
transportation fuel market in places such as India and Europe relies on diesel and cannot benefit from
cellulosic ethanol technologies. For these markets, jatropha-based biodiesel has great potential as an
alternative fuel, especially in regions where national security concerns are heightened by reliance on
imported oil.
In addition to India, other nations including China, the Philippines, several African countries, and the
United States are conducting research programmes in jatropha cultivation and oil extraction on eroded farmland
and marginal land.
|
