It wasn't long ago that corn ethanol seemed like a win-win idea from all angles. In the US, farmers, environmentalists and politicians of all stripes piled on. A few did acknowledge that Brazilian sugarcane was a better idea, and even fewer did point out the risk to food prices, but overall their voices and better sense were drowned by a wave of euphoria around corn ethanol.

Energy prices, of course, are the main cause behind increase in food prices, but not many dispute the fact that corn ethanol had a role too. In hindsight, that relationship is not hard to grasp: when demand for corn surged, the price did too without a similar spike in supply. It's economics 101 - basic supply and demand.

Now, consider another plant that's being widely touted as the ideal source of biofuels - jatropha. Jatropha is not a food crop,and it can be grown in barren and waste land with relatively little water. What's not to like, huh?

Well, let's apply some basic economics principles to this situation. Whenever the market price for a certain product increases, there will be more willing suppliers of that product. And that will be true for jatropha seeds too.

Large areas of the country have increasingly experienced drought conditions. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka have seen thousands of farmer suicides in recent years because of crop failures due to drought. It is not far fetched to think some of these farmers might find it easier to grow jatropha than, say, rice.

Leveling rice and wheat yields per hectare is a worrying sign in itself. If fuel crops like jatropha intrude into this traditional crop land, the price pressures on food grain will be compounded.

As the euphoria around jatropha grows, it will pay to remember the harsh lessons learnt from the corn ethanol experience. India has more than enough waste and barren land suitable for jatropha - 63.85 million hectares - to make a significant dent in the nation's energy needs even with low biodiesel yields (say 650 litres/hectare as opposed to published highs of 1800 or 2200 litres/hectare).

If jatropha is allowed to take over too much food grain land, however, the only way to compensate for that with very little fertile land left to cultivate, will be with efficiency increases in food crops. And that's something the country has failed to achieve in the last few years.

livemint.com
The global food versus fuel debate will be rendered irrelevant by its biofuel business model, claims Reliance Life Sciences or RLS.
“Our model is unique in the sense that it reverses the whole argument of fuel versus food, which the Western world is currently battling with, as it leads to fuel with food, with the promotion of food intercrops,” says K.V. Subramaniam, CEO and president of RLS, part of the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd or RIL group. The company says it is currently testing intercropping of jatropha and pongamia non-edible fuel crops along with a diverse set of food crops including corn, mango, medicinal plants and vegetables in its research and development farms at Gandhar in Baruch, Gujarat, and Nagothane in Raigad, Maharashtra.

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Dear Visitor

I've just released a position paper 'BEST PRACTICES FOR LONG-TERM JATROPHA DEVELOPMENT' in line with JatrophaWorld Hamburg 2008 from October 20-21, 2008. And it's available to you NOW for F.REE!

'Best Practices for Long-term Jatropha Development' Please download your Free Position Paper: Jatropha Position Paper This paper is an update on my successful 'Sustainable Biodiesel Feedstock: Jatropha--A Strategic Option', which has been downloaded by over 2000 individuals from all over the world and was one of the most discussed papers at JatrophaWorld 2008 series which has attracted over 800 participants from 55 countries.   To Your Success with Jatropha, Dr. R Rajagopal COO Knowgenix

p.s. JATROPHAWORLD 2008 is the most happening platform for all stakeholders in the biofuels business! Don't miss out on this opportunity to access latest information and insights which will shape your investment in Jatropha! Exhibit your Jatropha technologies, products and services to the stakeholders in the biofuels business! Register for JATROPHAWORLD HAMBURG 2008 today! ]]> http://bigbazar.wordpress.com/2008/07/18/larbre-a-petrole/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:31:52 +0000 Sarrdanapale http://bigbazar.wordpress.com/2008/07/18/larbre-a-petrole/ Sur le blog France 2 New Delhi.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.634876&w=425&h=350&fv=]

BiomassWorld 2008, Sep 23-24, 2008 in Beijing, Examines Competitive Advantages of Biomass for Power and Cellulosic Biofuels.

BiomassWorld 2008 will be held in Beijing, China on September 23-24, 2008. This gathering of major authorities and project stakeholders from Asia, Europe and the US, with discussion focusing on integrating biomass into the energy value chain, through biomass power generation and Cellulosic ethanol.  Technological advancements & favorable renewable energy policies will set the tone for the more than 20 experts sharing insights on commercializing biomass to energy. This conference will be the premier networking venue for the industry and play a critical role in developing vital business relationships. 

The BiomassWorld 2008 will map the dynamic shift of the global renewable energy industry to encompass biomass As the modern global energy market and world governments are seeking to adapt existing renewable energy policy and regulatory structures to encourage the development of Biomass to Energy Projects, the timely BiomassWorld 2008 will look at two issues that are critical to the widespread commercialization of Biomass:

-->Biomass as the answer to the rising costs in the power generation sector & rural electrification projects. 

--> Cellulosic Ethanol derived from the Lignocellulosic conversion of biomass sources as the ideal solution to the food vs. fuel debate & a viable source of biofuel.  

The conference features insights from major authorities on the integration of biomass from its conversion to power, gas and liquid fuels as an alternative energy source as well as the latest technological, policies, projects and market trends. Focused case studies from biomass energy, power generation and cogeneration projects in China, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Thailand and the Philippines will put regional developments in Biomass into broader perspective.

Top Chinese Bioenergy companies National Bio Energy Co. and COFCO will be sharing their insights on the biomass to power generation and cellulosic ethanol in China at BiomassWorld 2008 in Beijing. As the world’s third largest producer of Ethanol and rich in agricultural and forestry waste materials, the Chinese government is pushing ahead in establishing Biomass power plants. On May 21, 2008, China Holdings Inc reported that by year 2012, the total biomass generating capacity in China is expected to reach 300 million kilowatts in 2012 and 1600 million kilowatts by 2020.

To add on, key US cellulosic ethanol producer – Range Fuels will be addressing their commercialization experience as well as the emerging opportunities for cellulosic ethanol production in China and Asia. Also gain insights from Enzymes suppliers, Genencor and Novozymes, who will update the latest on cellulosic ethanol production technologies, projects in China and the obstacles for successful commercialization.

BiomassWorld 2008 in Beijing will also feature a critical paper presented by Ir. N. Ravi Menon, Senior Research Fellow of Malaysian Palm Oil Board, who will share insights into the projects, economics and constraints of waste palm biomass-based power generation in Malaysia. In addition to accelerate more Palm EFB projects, Carbon Capital Corp Sdn Bhd launched their 4 Biogas projects and a 10 megawatt biomass power plant in Sarawak.

Other invited panelists include Almoiz Industries Limited who will present the potential for sugar cane bagasse & other biomass power generation projects in Pakistan. Asia Biogas Corp, Philippines will also be presenting a paper on executing large biogas project in Southeast Asian markets. MPPL Renewable Energy will map the issues related to sustainable biomass supply chain, technologies and modular biomass power plant solutions in India. Hear also from Poyry Engineering on the industrial biorefinery in Asia’s Pulp/Paper industry and many more. 

BiomassWorld 2008 will see key decision makers in the renewable energy sector convene to discuss the future of this dynamic and viable source of energy.  

For for information, please contact:

Jaime Ng

Marketing Manager

Tel: 65-63469115

Fax: 65-63455928

jaime@cmtsp.com.sg

www.cmtevents.com

Will New Technological Advances Offer Fresh Capabilities for Commercialization and Enhance BTL Investments? The 3rd BTLtec conference to be held in Göteborg on October 13-14, 2008 will look at two issues that are critical to the widespread commercialization of BTL: That the integration of a BTL plant with a pulp and paper mill can be economically attractive under many circumstances. Are forest biomass resources sufficient to support future growth in BTL projects plans and are there alternative feedstock options? The October meet also features insights on the latest technological, policies, projects and market trends in the BTL value chain. In addition, focused case studies on the future directions of sustainable Biomass conversion in Sweden, BTL in Norway and the overall outlook on supply and demand of Biomass in EU will put regional developments in BTL into broader perspective. Improved technologies in gasification and F T processes are opening new opportunities for even pulp and paper mills to play the important role in bioenergy field as biomass processors. In fact it was reported just last month that Neste Oil plans to build a $1B NExBTL Renewable Diesel Plant in Rotterdam. Prior to this, in May last year, UPM, a global forestry company teamed up with Carbona to develop synthetic biofuels. Neste Oil together with UPM-Kymmene and Xynergo plus prominent transport industry player Volvo Technology whose HQ is in Göteborg, Shell which has a minority stake in BTL producer CHOREN and global involvement in CTL, GTL projects plus initiatives on XTL (GTL/CTL/ BTL) technologies and many others are some of the invited panelists in the conference. To complete the program, an optional half day tour site visit to the Växjö Värnamo Biomass Gasification Centre (VVBGC) is also planned on the October 14, 2008. VVBGC is an R&D centre inviting collaborative initiatives in gasification of biomass, feeding systems, hot gas cleaning, IGCC syngas upgrading, catalyst research, BTL processes, H2 for fuel cells. The plant is currently based on an IGCC process which is planned for rebuild to syngas version. Investments into the VVBGC Pilot plant are supported by the Swedish Energy Agency and also partly by the EC through it Framework 6 Research Project CHRISGAS. The aim of the CHRISGAS Project is to demonstrate the production of a clean and hydrogen-rich synthesis gas from woody biomass. In line with the 3rd BTLtec 2008, the event organiser CMT, is giving out an exclusive presentation paper on "GTL, CTL and BTL: Friends or Enemies" by Dr Mark Morgan as a prelude to what to expect in Göteborg. In this 36 paged slide presentation, Dr Mark Morgan - Executive Consultant of Nexant Chemsystems reveals key insights into the sustainability of BTL projects, its technology evolution and development. Rated one of the TOP Presentations at the 2nd BTLtec Conference 2007 in Vienna, this presentation may be downloaded for free at http://www.btltec.com/btlpaper/index.htm 3rd BTLtec will see key decision makers in the renewable energy sector convene to discuss the future of this dynamic and viable source of energy. Those interested to learn more must visit www.btltec.com for information about BTL and on how to register for this authoritative event. Click here for FULL PROGRAM                        To REGISTER   For more information, please contact: Jaime Ng (jaime@cmtsp.com.sg) Marketing Manager Tel: 65-63469115 Fax: 65-63455928

 

]]> http://energyandbiofuelsevents.wordpress.com/?p=106 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:44:56 +0000 globalconference http://energyandbiofuelsevents.wordpress.com/?p=106 JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 - The Event

The word “Brilliant”, which was used by many delegates to describe their experiences, sums up the JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 experience.

On the opening day, Mr. Christian Langaard, MD of Euro Latin Capital got the ball rolling to the largest international Jatropha event, with over 400 participants from 51 countries. In his opening speech, he introduced the conference as the premier venue to discuss key issues in the Global Jatropha Industry.

With Jatropha cultivation becoming an intensifying worldwide trend, how to ‘Do It Right’ dominated the entire conference, with discussions centering on the best practices in Jatropha for maximum returns.

Some of the critical “Do It Right” issues that dominated the proceedings included:

• Cost-effective Jatropha cultivation
• Socially responsible Jatropha - Rural development and poverty alleviation
• Putting a figure to Jatropha yields
• Improving existing Jatropha yields.
• Toxicity of Jatropha and its long term implications.
• Ideal growing conditions for maximum output.
• What investors are looking for in terms of investment in Jatropha projects?
• Mechanical harvesting - Feasible in the next five years? Is it possible? Will it happen?
• International fuel quality specifications for Jatropha biodiesel.

All participants at JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 gave rave reviews for the event that more than lived up to its promise of presenting realistic insights into the processing, harvesting and seed & oil yields.

Mr. Arturo Aurajo, GM of Diesel Del Agro based in El Salvador sums it beautifully with his comments, “on a scale of 1-10, I’d give JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 a 10” and “you can sign me up for the next conference right away”

JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 - The Site Visit

The JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 site visit was so popular that it was oversubscribed, as people rushed to view the pioneers of Jatropha planting in Florida.

As Jatropha farmers were on hand to explain why this plant is the saving of them and their waning incomes, news-cameras were on site bearing witness to this exciting new Energy Crop that will play a key role in revolutionizing Biodiesel in the US and the rest of the world.

All the delegates who attended were glad to have had the opportunity to take their learning beyond the air-conditioned comfort of the conference room, and out into the actual field where they were able to see Jatropha planting first-hand.

In fact, the site visit was so popular, we even made the day's evening news!

JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 - The DelegatesJatrophaWorld Miami 2008 once again broke records when we welcomed over 400 participants from 51 countries, which was more than the 350 we got for JatrophaWorld in Jakarta. Once again, JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 lived up to its name for being the single largest international gathering of the global Jatropha fraternity.

JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 was also UNIQUE in its delegate profile as well.
This was the first dedicated Jatropha event that welcomed such a large concentration of American investors, as well as investors from Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico and Peru.

We also saw large concentrations of investors from Europe, Africa and Asia.

Due to the vastly international delegate profile, JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 was dynamic networking platform, with multiple perspectives presented from the international Jatropha growth belt.

Most of the delegates at JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 rated the networking as one of the best they had experienced in any conference.

Mr. Josef Schneider, Sales Manager at the HF Group based in Germany was among the delegates who gave two thumbs up for the networking opportunities.

“We met a number of people who were potential customers” said Mr. Schneider, who was very happy at the large numbers of people he was able to interact with at the conference.

JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 - The Future Direction

The event revealed a coming of age of the Jatropha industry, as the crop is already internationally renowned, and more and more projects are beginning to mature and deliver returns.

Investors are now asking hard hitting questions on the long term outlook and sustainability of Jatropha. With more projects being developed all over the world, JatrophaWorld Miami 2008 positioned the Jatropha industry on the cusp of wide spread commercialization.

The next step of the JatrophaWorld 2008 journey will be mapping the best practices to sustain the emerging Jatropha industry.

Our third conference in the series, JatrophaWorld Hamburg 2008 will be held on 20 -22 October 2008 and will focus on successful the KEY STRATEGIES for a successful Jatropha project. Visit www.futureenergyevents.com/jatropha for more information today!

Una planta con mínimos requerimientos de nutrición, pero que rinde grandes beneficios.

• El primer paso es decidir el tipo de propagación: semillas, pilón o estacas.

• Posteriormente, se elige la distancia entre plantas y si se asociarán con otro cultivo.

• Una vez la planta crece, se debe controlar las malezas y aplicar agroquímicos.

• Cuando el fruto está amarillo llegó el momento de cosecharlo para extraer aceite, o bien, se deja que se ponga de color negro y se usa como semilla.

• Una vez recolectado, el fruto debe despulparse y se procede a secar la semilla.

• El siguiente paso es la extracción del aceite y, posteriormente, se filtra de impurezas.

• El aceite se traslada a una planta especializada para convertirlo en biodiésel.

Estos expertos están atentos a una serie de proyectos en Latinoamérica relacionados con la siembra de jatropha y el proceso de convertir sus semillas en ...

La empresa suiza GAR (Global Agricultural Resources) se dedica a la compra y producción de tártago y jatropha a nivel mundial con destino a biodiesel, ...

The first set of numbers compares Jatropha oil yield per hectare to other crops. Check it out.

With the present economic condition of the country, our university has been and will always be aware of what is happening and doing actions to help alleviate the problems. Among these are the fora in different issues. Several government agencies attended together with the researchers and scientists in the university. The students were also there to hear both sides of the issue and ask for questions.

One of the speakers said that there is nothing to argue whether food or fuel even with the present situation because it should be food and fuel. We need fuel to cook our food. We need food to survive. There was also a speaker who said that the results of his research proved that Jatropha should not be used as bio fuel. There was one who suggested that we can ask for our indigenous people to plant Jatropha in their areas and they will sell it to us for lower price because these people are not hungry of money. My seatmate reacted to that and he told me that we will be exploiting our indigenous people if we will do that suggestion which is not really good.

Another spokesperson said that we have plenty of fuel resources, the government only needs to tap these. Also, it had been said in the news that our agricultural lands are being replaced by bio fuel plants and that is why many are against bio fuels. The speaker corrected that issue and said that they will not be using agricultural lands, instead they will utilize the unused lands to plant Jatropha.

Oil price hike leads to increase in fare and prices of other commodities. With the increasing price of rice in the market, it looks like there is rice shortage but many are saying there is rice hoarding. The prices are high but the salaries and wages are not going higher. The typhoons happening in the country just worsened the situation.

Again, it should not be food or fuel, indeed it should be FOOD AND FUEL.

Expertos paraguayos se reunieron en la víspera en nuestro diario para analizar estrategias tendientes a elaborar una propuesta concreta sobre la Jatropha al ...

Esta mañana se llevó a cabo en las instalaciones del Diario ABC Color un encuentro con el objetivo de impulsar el cultivo de la Jatropha Curcas, ...

... ambiental y social; presentamos estos proyectos para que se puedan complementar con las plantas de generación a partir de la jatropha y el hidrógeno”. ...

En su opinión, una de las “esperanzas” para la obtención de biodiésel es la jatropha, una planta tóxica con un alto rendimiento para la generación de aceite ...

La Jatropha es una oleaginosa de porte arbustivo. Originaria de México y Centroamérica, pero que crece en la mayoría de los países tropicales, es un cultivo ...

... está trabajando en Brasil y Perú con cultivos de un producto que se llama jatropha, que no es alimenticio y con el que quiere producir biodiésel. ...

En Zambia, el cultivo de jatropha muestra tal auge, que numerosos inversores occidentales suscriben contratos por 30 años de duración, a partir de los ...

Ecofuel cuenta con cultivos energéticos en Brasil y Perú que son, en concreto, plantaciones de un producto que se llama jatropha curcas, ...

El proyecto del que hablamos contempla la producción de Biodisel a través de la extracción de aceite vegetal de la Jatropha curcas; es importante señalar ...

Es un proyecto nacional que trabaja con el Sikilte, cuyo nombre cientifico es Jatropha Curcas y del cual se obtendría un aceite para producir biodiesel. ...

... la biomasa a través de la leña, la hídrica por las minirepresas y el biodiesel a partir de la semilla de jatropha, son las cuatro fuentes alternativas. ...