The Hindu Business Line : Ungu - Kerala's answer to biodiesel demand?

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Thiruvananthapuram Feb. 14 Kerala is a peripheral player in the biofuel market that is on the boil within the country and abroad. The reason is not far to seek: there's not much wasteland available to grow the Jatropha curcas shrub, an unadulterated biodiesel success story emerging from elsewhere in the country.

But studies show that Pongamia pinnata, a tree bearing non-edible `straight vegetable oil' and growing widely in the State, can do much more than hold a candle to jatropha. Or ask Mr K. Madhusoodanan of the Society of Energy Engineers and Managers (SEEM).

Better known as `Ungu', Pongamia pinnata beats jatropha hollow on two counts at least: one, being a tree, it will support the afforestation cause in no small measure. Widely planted along the roadsides in the State, the tree has displayed promising growth rates in the local climatic conditions.

Two, growing the tree in the degraded forest lands, unutilised tribal lands and along forest boundaries could be a winnable strategy for tribal upliftment and empowerment through practices that are socio-economically and environmentally sustainable. The State has about 92,300 hectares of wasteland, of which 38,400 hectares are underutilised, degraded and notified forestland.

In any case, the Centre has allowed only non-edible oil for biodiesel feedstock since the demand for edible vegetable oil exceeds supply. Ungu fits the bill on this count too, as does jatropha.

Mixed crop

There is potential to cultivate this as a mixed crop along with other forest plantation crops and all along the forest boundaries to act as an effective barrier against encroachment, especially in vulnerable areas. This can be taken up in forest villages under the `Food for Work' programme, for instance, with rights to collect the seeds given to these communities. The Government should set up seed collection and biodiesel processing facilities in these areas.

The lower fruit yields have put limitations on the use of Ungu as a potential tree bearing oil. But this could be overcome through proper selection. Seeds as well as stem cuttings can be used for raising plantations.

Yield potential

It starts bearing during the fourth to seventh year. A single tree is said to yield 9-90 kg of seeds, indicating a yield potential of 900-9,000 kg seed/ha (assuming 100 trees/ha). This means one could target two tonnes of oil and five tonnes of firewood on renewable basis, assuming an oil yield of 25 per cent from the seeds.

Growing Ungu on the 38,400 hectares of degraded forestland would yield about 76,800 tonnes of oil a year. This would approximately be five per cent of the diesel consumption in the State, valued at around Rs 200 crore.

Jatropha caught in the slick

According to Mr K. Madhusoodanan of the Society of Energy Engineers and Managers, one of the main problems in getting the biodiesel programme rolling is the difficulty linked to initiating large-scale cultivation. Farmers do not yet consider it as remunerative enough.

For instance, sugarcane plantations yield 70 t/ha and fetch Rs 70,000/ha at a sugarcane price of Rs 1,000/t. In comparison, if the jatropha farmer gets Rs 5,000 per tonne of oilseeds and if the yield is 3.75 t/ha, his income is only Rs 18,750 per hectare.

The other main issue is the lack of seed collection and oil extraction infrastructure. In the absence of these, it will be difficult to persuade entrepreneurs to install transesterification plants.

Finally, there is the problem of glycerol utilisation. The by-product glycerol is about 12 per cent of the biodiesel produced and is of about 88 per cent purity. If alternative means are not quickly found for utilising glycerol, then its price will plummet due to excess supply.

More Stories on : Non-conventional Energy | Kerala | Cultivation

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