Hybrid Jatropha

SINGAPORE, Feb. 12, 2008
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CAT Ltd.,has acquired the planting and land use rights for
494,200 acres of land in Indonesia for the purpose of generating revenues from
a plantation for Jatropha plants. The agreement was signed on February 5, 2008
with Boulevard Holdings Group Ltd for the acquisition rights in growing
Jatropha, managing Jatropha plantations, and harvesting Jatropha seeds to be
crushed for its production of non-edible vegetable oil for bio-diesel and its
other bio-mass components. The strategic acquisition allows CAT to diversify
its growth and reduce risk in the Jatropha industry. Management believes that
the acquisition will be worth over $300 million within five years based on
projected global demand for Jatropha by-products. The Company noted that,
according to an August 24, 2007 Wall Street Journal article (which was also
cited on CNBC on September 14, 2007), Goldman Sachs projected that Jatropha
was one of the leading candidates for global biodiesel production.
Jatropha trees produce seeds containing up to 40% oil. When the seeds are
crushed and processed, the resulting oil can be used in a standard diesel
engine, while the residue can be processed into biomass to power electricity
plants. The by-products are often cited as a clean, green and prime source
for global biodiesel supply. The price of Jatropha-based biodiesel has
historically been highly profitable, ranging from US$650 to US$750 per ton,
based on current negotiated market futures.
CAT Founder Chairman Dr. Harry He said, "We expect CAT's Jatropha
production path to begin with immediate revenues from the sale of Crude
Jatropha Oil ("CJO") from existing harvests. We will concurrently apply our
innovative agro-technology processes to accelerate growth and yield for the
plantation; we expect that the entire 494,200 acres can be converted to our
fast-growth/high-yield technology in just two years. We believe that the new
acquisition rights on this one half million acres over the next five years
should increase the profit value of the Company."
The new acquisition was completed with 30% cash and 70% newly-issued
shares at a premium conversion of US$2.10 via convertible bonds. The
acquisition significantly expands CAT's current portfolio of approximately
50,000 acres of Jatropha plantations in Indonesia. CAT previously forecast a
fair profit value of US$45 million for the remaining fiscal year 2008 and will
continue to focus on Agro-Technological Research & Development for future
growth based on its existing profitable operations.
Dr. He continued, "This acquisition represents a major step forward in
CAT's strategy to build critical mass and economies-of-scale in production
operations. The rights to this extensive tract of land provide us with
security for our feedstock which -- when combined with our leading-edge
Jatropha cultivation, our Agro-Technology, and our trained work-force --
allows us to accelerate our CJO production in order to meet our revenue
targets. CAT's super-hybrid Jatropha plants in our current plantations are
able to achieve higher yields of CJO oil seed within a shorter growth period,
while positioning the biodiesel market to meet the world's fast-growing
demand."

Mysore biotech firm takes the lead in jatropha tissue culture

Posted: Thu, Jan 10 2008. 4:20 AM IST
Seema Singh

Mysore: As jatropha, the promising biofuel crop, gathers attention of government and businesses alike, a small biotech company in Mysore has made a significant contribution to the crop science.

Labland Biotech Pvt. Ltd appears to have developed a proprietary process by which tissue culture plantlets of Jatropha curcas can be grown, from laboratory to the field, on a commercial scale.

The plant biotechnology company was recently chosen by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) to multiply the tissue culture clones for field testing.
“It is the only company we are supporting in tissue culture of jatropha as they claim to have established the tissue culture protocol,” said a joint director at of the department, who didn’t want to be named because of internal policy.
Labland emerged ahead of contenders, including Reliance Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd, owned by the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance group, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and The Energy Research Institute.

Most of the jatropha plantations in India today use seed-generated plants, where it’s difficult to maintain the genetic quality of seeds in subsequent generations.
“By using tissue culture technique, it’s possible to mass multiply superior planting material from a source, irrespective of season, climate or volume,” said Geetaa Singh, executive director of Labland.

Scientifically, it’s challenging to produce tissue clones for latex-producing plants such as jatropha, a problem faced in plants such as tea and rubber. Labland is now testing a small batch of tissue clones in controlled environmental conditions, also called “hardening” in scientific terms.

Perfecting this technique in jatropha opens up new avenues for improved varieties as DBT has already identified 1,500 accessions (new members to a plant collection but are not considered varieties yet). DBT has also funded a dedicated jatropha research lab at Labland, which will carry out field trials of tissue culture clones.
“Jatropha is hardly a five-year-old crop; we have to learn and grow with the crop just as the world grew with the palm crop,” said Sudheer Shetty, chairman and managing director of Labland.

Shetty began researching on jatropha in 2002 and now, besides developing tissue culture technique, supplies jatropha seeds both within and outside India. Labland recently spun off its jatropha division as Labland Biodiesel, and expects a turnover of about Rs200 crore from jatropha by 2010.

In a modest beginning, state-owned Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GSFCL) has selected Labland as one of its two service providers for its 1,100ha jatropha plantation being developed in the harsh, saline regions of Kutch.
“Technologically, Labland is quite ahead of others,” said M.C. Sharma, biotech adviser at GSFCL, which intends to develop a model for jatropha plantation in the state.

Aiming to be one-stop-solution provider for jatropha, Labland has signed letters of intent with companies from six countries, including the US, New Zealand and Brazil, to be their technology partners in developing plantations, ranging from 10 million to 100 million ha. “The Malaysian state of Saravak is offering us 5,000ha for developing jatropha plantation,” said Shetty.

Even though jatropha has been planted in about 100,000ha in the country, according to Shetty, researchers are busy identifying better varieties that are pest- and drought-resistant, yield more oil and overall require less care. Towards that, Labland has collected about 400 accessions from different agro climatic zones and is developing a Jatropha curcas germplasm (genetic material) bank under, laboratory conditions.

Alternative fuel: GM, Daimler & M&M plan Jatropha ride

15 Jul, 2008, 0758 hrs IST,Shramana Ganguly Mehta & Avinash Nair, ET Bureau

AHMEDABAD: Driven by soaring crude prices, auto giants General Motors, Daimler Chrysler and M&M have placed their bets on Jatropha. GM and Daimler Chrysler are not just getting the alternate fuel tested on their vehicles but also nurturing Jatropha cultivation for widescale experiments.

Gujarat-based Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) is aiding these companies realise their aspirations to use Jatropha as an alternate fuel in their futuristic engines.

While European automotive player Daimler’s Jatropha plantations across Gujarat and Orissa are already in their fourth year, US auto giant GM will join the race to cultivate Jatropha across 75-80 hectares of wasteland in Gujarat.

General Motors (India) president and MD Karl Slym told ET: “GM has already invested $0.5 million (in the first phase) to get biodiesel derived from Jatropha tested in six of its vehicles at CSMCRI’s facility (at Bhavnagar).” “There does not seem to be an end to the hike in crude oil prices.

GM is very aggressive about using alternate fuel in its vehicles. So be it electric vehicles (tests are on in the US market) or LPG and CNG variants, we are seeking the final answer to the problem. Shortly, we will enter into another agreement with CSMCRI for contract farming of Jatropha,” Mr Slym remarked.

Gabriel buries German biofuels plan

Published: 4 Apr 08 12:09

CETOnline: http://www.thelocal.de/11093/

German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Friday that the country would scrap plans to develop biofuels because they were not appropriate for millions of vehicles.

"We will not do it," Gabriel told German public broadcaster ARD.

The VDIK association of foreign automakers said Friday that around 3.3 million vehicles, roughly 30 percent of all foreign cars in the country, were unable to use the mix of ethanol and traditional petrol that Berlin sought to impose.

Gabriel had warned that the project would be abandoned if more than one million vehicles could not use the fuel.

"It is not a measure dealing with environmental policy, but a measure destined to aid the automobile industry," he added.

The news dealt a blow to so-called green fuels which have been presented as a way to reduce global warming but which have also been criticized by ecologists and the German automobile club.

The E10 project was supposed to ensure that 10 percent of petrol used by cars and light trucks in Germany was comprised of ethanol to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. But the result was more corrosive than classic petrol and threatened to wear out certain engine parts too quickly, in particular in cars that were more than 15 years old.

The decision is a setback however for the government, which sought to go further than the European Union in setting standards for cutting carbon dioxide emissions. Biofuels were billed as a key contributor to the effort."There is no need for Germany to go it alone," VDIK president Volker Lange said in a statement. "All environmental protection strategy must be harmonized and applied onthe European level."E10 has also come under fire from environmental groups such as Greenpeace, which criticizes the conditions under which colza and soja used in the fuel is grown.

The powerful German automobile club ADAC has noted meanwhile that E10 fuel would represent a surcharge for consumers.

Berlin has nonetheless not abandoned plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2020 compared with their 1990 level.

Dropping the E10 project means however that other sectors, in particular electricity production, will have to increase the share of its production from renewable sources to 30 percent from 27.5 percent, Gabriel said.

To meet EU auto emission targets of an average 120 grams per kilometre, the car industry "will also have to come up with other technical measures," he added."That will certainly please auto parts makers," the minister added.

Jatoil urges Australia to allow jatropha production

By Erin Voegele

Web exclusive posted July 9, 2008 at 12:45 p.m. CST

Australia-based Jatoil Ltd. is urging the Australian government to allow cultivation of the jatropha plant, which is currently banned as a weed in the country’s northern regions. Jatoil is a green energy company that is focusing on using jatropha oil in biodiesel production. Jatoil’s actions were spurred by the July 4 release of a draft of the Garnaut Climate Change Review, which was commissioned by Australia’s Commonwealth, state and territory governments.

An independent study conducted by Australian National University professor Ross Garnaut, titled “The Garnaut Climate Change Review”, examines the impact of climate change on the Australian economy and makes policy recommendations to improve the prospects for sustainable prosperity in the country.

According to Jatoil Chairman Mike Taverner, in order to meet the challenges outlined in the review, Australia needs to embrace sustainable energy production.

“Jatropha has been proven to be a great source of biofuel that can actually reduce green house gas emissions compared with fossil fuels,” Taverner said. “It grows on arid, marginal land and does not compete with valuable food crops. The sad thing is that it can’t be planted in many parts of this great dry land of ours, which is crying out for innovative ways of combating climate change, because it is seen to be an invasive weed.”

Jatropha is an inedible evergreen shrub that is resistant to drought and pests and can be grown in arid conditions unsuitable for food production. Oil produced by the plant’s seeds can be used to manufacture biodiesel, and can be harvested within the first year of planting.

“Biofuels are fundamental to a future climate-friendly, energy economy,” Taverner said. “Jatropha can become a central source of biofuel. Jatropha is being grown on a commercial scale in other parts of the world and review of Australian regulations is required to explore and utilize this non-food energy resource.”

Jatoil plans to become a leader in supplying jatropha-based biofuel to Asia. The company has signed a joint venture in Vietnam, as well as a similar arrangement in Indonesia, and is investigating opportunities in several other Asian countries.

Jatoil’s venture in Vietnam has started planting 100 hectares (247 acres) of jatropha on its first biofuel farm in Ninh Thuan Province, north-east of Ho Chi Minh City. A similar biofuel farm in Hoa Binh Province will house laboratories in conjunction with Vietnamese government research departments. The company has also begun to form partnerships with farmer co-ops that will recruit farmers to plant jatropha on their own land, with the goal of producing jatropha on 10,000 hectares (24,711 acres) at each location.

“By October this year, we will be producing biofuel in Ninh Thuan,” Taverner said. “We can then show people that jatropha can power their trucks and farm machinery. Once they see what can be done and that they can benefit from planting jatropha, we believe production will expand rapidly.”

Within 18 months, Taverner said the company expects to be supplying jatropha-based biofuel for the local market in Vietnam – which is keen to develop domestic supplies.

“We would really like to bring the skills that we are developing in Asia back to Australia, where we can see there is a crying need for the cultivation of a non-food crop that is a rich source of biofuel,” Taverner added. “Although there would be different challenges to cropping jatropha in Australia, the opportunity surely requires investigation.”

Launch charts a first in Jatropha

Wed, Jan 30, 2008
The Star

KOTA KINABALU, MALAYSIA: Jatropha biodiesel fuel was used for the first time yesterday in a Toyota Land Cruiser in the country.

Appropriately, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was the one chosen at the Sabah Development Corridor Expo to fill the vehicle with the biodiesel fuel derived from Jatropha curcas seeds planted in Sabah on a trial basis.

The Jatropha curcas tree is native to Central America and the Caribbean and its seeds yield a non-edible oil, utilised to make biodiesel fuel.

Briefing the Prime Minister on how the fuel could be used without making any changes to vehicles, Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) officials said that the Jatropha biodiesel fuel had been successfully used in India.

SLDB general manager Jhuvarri Majid said that their immediate plans were to cultivate a 10ha plot of land together with Malaysia-India partners Borneo Alam Ria Biomatrix (Sabah) Sdn Bhd to ensure sufficient seedlings as well as transfer of technology.

Jhuvarri said that SLDB was planning to cultivate Jatropha on a commercial basis as they believed it could help in eradicating poverty in Sabah.

"People in the interior can work six-acre plots of land provided by SLDB and can earn at least RM1,500 a month," he said.

He said three companies - Nihon Biotech Inc (Japan), Kelana Stabil Sdn Bhd (a US-based company) and TKM Resources Sdn Bhd (A South Korea-based company) - were keen to be involved in the Jatropha industry.

The three companies, which have promised to buy the fuel for export to their respective countries, hope to inject about RM300mil into Jatropha cultivation if land was provided.

They believe that the Jatropha curcas could be planted in interior areas of Tambunan, Keningau, Tenom and Nabawan to help poor farmers overcome poverty.

Zubiri: Jatropha Seeds as Biofuels Source

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

THE PHILIPPINES - With no end in sight to the skyrocketing of fuel prices, the national government is looking into alternative fuel sources to avert a looming economic catastrophe.
This was stressed by Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri who discussed the benefits of using jatropha seeds as a source of bio-fuel during the 49th Araw ng Lanao de Norte celebration.

"Just three kilos of jatropha seeds will already produce a liter of bio-diesel and it will also raise the income of our marginalized farmers," revealed the senator from Bukidnon.

The Republic Act 9367 or Biofuels Act of 2006 was unanimously passed on both houses of Congress and it outlined the use of biofuels and the establishment of the biofuel program.

Identified as possible sources of biodiesel are jatropha seeds and copra (the dried white flesh of the coconut). Sources of ethanol, which is used in gasoline powered vehicles, include cassava and sugarcane which are currently in surplus production.

In the biofuel program, abandoned agricultural lands and non-food producing areas will be used as plantation for jatropha trees. This will help solve the denudation of forested areas caused by illegal logging and uncontrolled cutting of trees for use as firewood.

"This will also be a good reforestation program since trees planted during our reforestation effort will only be harvested after one year for use as firewood," stressed Senator Zubiri.

A conversion kit is now readily available thru Glenn Yu of Seaoil Corp. that converts gasoline-consuming vehicles into vehicles that can run on both pure gasoline or pure ethanol.

The Jatropha Curcas L belt

Jatropha growing won’t be at expense of food crops

Monday July 7, 2008

KOTA KINABALU: Jatropha cultivation in Sabah for the production of biodiesel will not be done at the expense of food crops.

Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) general manager Jhuvarri Majid, however, said that at the same time research into Jatropha must be stepped up as fossil fuel (petrol and diesel) was a quickly diminishing resource and becoming increasingly costly.

He said this when briefing Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman who was visiting SLDB’s Jatropha-centred booth in conjunction with Farmer’s Day.

Jhuvarri also said that the setting up of the Agro Research and Development Complex in Nabawan was a priority.

“While this complex will remain focussed on R&D of Jatropha, it will also include research into food crops such as padi, fruits and cash crops so as to make Sabah self-reliant in food production,” he said.

According to Jhuvarri, initial results from the SLDB Jatropha trial plot in Binakaan, Nabawan, was encouraging, prompting the agency to go into its second phase to set up the R&D complex and plant Jatropha on a large scale.

“We are in the process of acquiring some 800ha of land in Nabawan for this purpose and hope to start soon.

“There can be no denying that we need to research further into Jatropha as it can be the most suitable feedstock for biodiesel as it is a non-edible oil and be grown on marginal land,” he added.

He said that Jatropha could be a good plantation material for eco-restoration in overlogged land and in forests damaged by fire or over-cultivation.

Singapore's first jatropha biodiesel plants eye exports to China

Thursday, March 22, 2007

A new joint-venture, Van Der Horst Biodiesel, is planning to build Singapore's first biodiesel plant that uses Jatropha curcas and not palm oil as feedstock.

The plant on Jurong Island is the project of a joint venture between the Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering, which is linked to Nanyang Technological University, and Van Der Horst Engineering. It will see an investment of around S$40 (€19.7/US$26.3) million and have an annual capacity of 200,000 tons per year.

The move is seen as a boost for the local biodiesel sector and Van Der Horst said it is planning a second plant in Johor.

Currently, all biodiesel firms in Singapore use palm oil as a raw material to produce fuel. But Van Der Horst Biodiesel is seeking to be the first to use a new feedstock – the oil-rich nuts from the Jatropha curcas plant.

Jatropha has advantages over palm oil, which is commonly produced in Indonesia and Malaysia. Professor Tay Joo Hwa, Director and CEO, Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, said: "Jatropha can grow in very harsh environment. And we're not using that as a food source so it doesn't compete with the food and farmland."

"And because we have the plantation, and we have the technology, the cost of the feedstock will be much lower than the cost of other feedstock, such as palm oil in this part of the world and rapeseed in Europe."

Van Der Horst plans to secure land in Cambodia and China for the planting of the Jatropha nut