Business

Winning the battle against heat and electricity shortage

Jatropha Curcas crop promises to be a cheap source of biodiesel

IKRAM HOTI June 29, 2015

When Jatropha seeds are crushed, the resulting Jatropha oil can be processed to produce a high-quality biofuel or biodiesel. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: There is no use being an economist if you cannot offer an emergency response to major public miseries. Over 1,000 people have died of heatstroke in Karachi and the media has raised a hell; without indicating at an emergency remedy to the power outages that was a crucial contributor to this tragedy.

Three cures come to mind before the government fulfills its promise to increase the current power production by 800 megawatts (MW) to do away with the long and oppressive outages.

One of the primary solutions can be creating a large scale in-house power-generator subsidy to commercial and industrial users; the second is replacing the present electric supply lines to plug the 20-35% line-waste; and the third is Jatropha Curcas.

Subsidy to the commercial and industrial generators for diverting 3,000MW power to residential users can cost hundreds of billions to the national exchequer. Besides, supplying additional power to areas where consumers do not pay their bills regularly would be against the policy of the government. This might prevent a serious consideration of such a proposition.

Line-wastes can be reduced and will save about 2,000MW. But that might also not help, as the line-replacement process might take more than three years and would cost hundreds of billions again.

Read: Federal govt, K-Electric directly responsible for heat wave deaths: Memon

Planting through the crisis

The only panacea for a short-term increase in power generation could be biodiesel, the cheapest of which is extractable from Jatropha Curcas. If this crop is planted in the huge barren tracts of Sindh, Balochistan and the Punjab over the next six month, the cost would not be more than Rs50 billion and the cheapest biodiesel could be extracted through privately run plants for generators and for national grids within two years.

Each Jatropha mini-tree can offer it for 40 years; and a significant subsidy can be given to land-owners for planting multi-million Jatropha mini-trees each year.

Those who do not know much about this plant and its properties need to go to internet sites that offer details on the plantation, seeding, extraction and use of biodiesel and the Jatropha waste.

NGOs that are mostly being questioned on their credibility these days in Pakistan can seek exoneration by contributing towards this national cause. They can form up teams for campaigning and physically planting Jatropha in the agriculturally unclaimed lands where water resources are in short supply.

Jatropha does not need much water. This plant thrives on a mere 250 mm (10 in) of rain a year, and only during its first two years does it need to be watered in the closing days of the dry season. Ploughing and planting are not needed regularly and the use of pesticides is not necessary, due to the fungicidal properties of the plant.

Read: Karachi heat wave: Pop art for a purpose

The government can take cheaper loans from international institutions for this initiative, while the NGOs can campaign for additional donations from their mother organisations inland and abroad, to make this initiative a success within two years.

This might help in reducing the diesel prices and dependence on import of this product, which would also solve the problem of saving precious foreign exchange in billions. The highest import cost facing Pakistan each year is petroleum products. The dollars and pound sterling saved through Jatropha plantation would bring unprecedented windfall.

When Jatropha seeds are crushed, the resulting Jatropha oil can be processed to produce a high-quality biofuel or biodiesel that can be used in a standard diesel car or further processed into jet fuel, while the residue can also be used as biomass feedstock to power electricity plants, used as fertiliser (it contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), or as animal fodder.

The residue can also be used as feed in digesters and gasifiers to produce biogas. In 2009, Time magazine cited the potential for as much as 1,600 gallons of diesel fuel per acre per year. A hectare of Jatropha has been claimed to produce 1,892 liters of fuel.

What induced me to propose this remedy is the documented fact that this fuel is already being produced in Pakistan, the Philippines and Brazil.

Why can’t Pakistan make optimum use of the fuel?

The writer has worked with major newspapers and specialises in analysis of public finance and geo-economics of terrorism

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2015.

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COMMENTS (12)

Clayb | 8 years ago | Reply I learned about this plant a few years back and decided to buy some seeds to see if it was as easy as they say. First, i cannot afford solar panels so it was the easiest way for me to help out. I now have 25 plants and growing. I use the water I used to waste in the morning waiting for my shower to warm up and use that onced water to water them. This allows me to not use anymore water than what I already was using. For under a few dollars I have reduced my footprint by atleast 5-10% with 25 one meter plants. What would urban areas in LA or in India would be like if we all grew one or two plants on our balcony or back yard??

Ms Assif Khan | 8 years ago | Reply I heard of this material for the first time. Good work. I want to know which Pakistani companies already produce bio-fuel or by-bio-feed from Jatropha? If some of them are already doing it, why not allow them duty and tax holiday. That could be the faster way of getting this wonder and relieving Pakistanis from the oppressive power shortages.

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Umeed | 8 years ago | Reply Great proposal. My son takes interest in bio-products and their use in health and energy. He tells me that Jatropha is the fastest developing source of bio-fuel. Your newspaper is probably the first to project this material. I hope your paper and your contributors might take a lead in the national campaign for increasing the energy resources of Pakistan. By the way, most of articles in your paper carry critiques which might not be as easy to understand as this article.

Abrar | 8 years ago | Reply I read the article and the response of readers. Ok.....I think all agree that Jatropha is the trick, be it in 2 years or 4. It won't take more than that. One commentators said there should be an inquiry against officials and business circles that stop it. I tell you what...only those who export diesel to us, of those who have petroleum concessions from OGDC, might be against it. There should be a public campaign for it. Nothing can stop people from demanding it. Another commentator said divert a year's defense budget to this project. That is a brilliant idea. I propose that the Army should donate its half annual budget to it, and do the planting. They are located at almost each 10th mile on Pakistan. They should do it today. If they do not, all conspiracies hatched against politicians would be proven as negative.

salim mastan | 8 years ago | Reply @Nosherwan Shahid Shaikh: jatropha starts giving fruit after 8 months and full yield in 3 years, salim mastan

Aesha | 8 years ago | Reply Could it be? Who stops Pakistan from going for it? I hope there is a national inquiry on who stops it.

Asmat | 8 years ago | Reply Wow. I never thought such a thing existed. Can our government reduce the defense budget for a year and -plant Jatropha as a national defense strategy?

Rokhan | 8 years ago | Reply Okay.......if Mr Hoti is serious about Jatropha, I wonder why the relevant people in the government are not? Maybe modern-time recipe to biodiesel via Jatropha is more simple, less money-consuming and faster in growth, yield and processing. Perhaps Mr Hoti would need to also talk about the conversion plant investment and the best locations for its set up.

bimal william | 8 years ago | Reply Power generation is very important for growth.I would like to suggest that for the last 10years the investment was nil in this sector. So this problem was very much inevitable.Also there is no speedy solution for this problem.From now onward if Pakistan attract huge investment in power sector it will take at least 5 to 7 years to solve the power crisis.Bio fuel is also good for generating power but it will not happen overnight. It is very clear that for the last 10 years if power sector is neglected it will take 20 years to be self dependent.

solar Panels Khappay | 8 years ago | Reply Install Solar Panels in all possible places and let the current produce directly add to the existing power grid. I hope there will be a way to do it. It is the best practical fast solution .

Nosherwan Shahid Shaikh | 8 years ago | Reply you need atleast five years to have the Jatropha plants grow to produce enough seeds for the scale you are talking.

Ajmal Khan | 8 years ago | Reply Biofuel is a very good idea and alternate sources needs to be explored to meet the severe energy short fall in Pakistan. Use of fresh water and and the good quality agricultural lands can not be used for the production of energy crop because it will compete with the food crop and would compromise food security. The alternate idea is to use salt tolerant bio-energy crops that can be raised on saline soil and with saline water irrigation. In this way we are producing a crop using wasteland and waste water without compromising the food security and make the land cultivable all over again. Jatropha is mildly salt tolerant crop and requires a huge amount of irrigation water therefore is not a good candidate for the biofuel.

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