Tonga sees future in coconut biodiesel
Quicknote biofuel economics
Small island states often have the disadvantage of being entirely dependent on imported petroleum products. Most of these remote nations have energy intensive economies (often single sector economies, based on tourism, fisheries or agriculture), produce no oil themselves, have limited economic means with which to hedge against oil price fluctuations, which results in over-dependence and a state of permanent energy insecurity. Moreover, as we reported earlier, small island states are the first to experience the real impacts of climate change (in particular sea level changes).
Luckily, many of these islands have natural resources that allow for the production of competitive biofuels (see an overview of biofuels in the Pacific). Some even have the potential to meet their own fuel needs with an excess that can be exported. One such case comes from the Kingdom of Tonga, the Pacific island group that can be found some 2000 kilometres east of Australia. A team of chemical engineers from the Brigham Young University is there to show how oil from coconuts, fig trees or African palm can be transesterified into biodiesel.
As Tonga Now reports, demonstrations of the process are being carried out at local schools by a team of 26 from the Brigham Young University's Chemical Engineering school in Provo, Utah. According to the team leader, Dr. Randy Lewis, they wanted to share their expertise with Tongans, to make them less vulnerable to high oil prices.
Tonga could cut its dependence on petro-diesel by switching to locally produce biodiesel. All it takes is for the islands to stock up on sodium hydroxide and methanol, chemicals needed to transesterify vegetable oil into useable fuel.
A spokesperson for the ministry of Land, Survey and Natural Resources says the island state is considering the production of biodiesel as a source of income for the Kingdom, a potential export opportunity: “If it will be proven cheaper, then it can be produced locally, with a minimum import of methanol and hydroxide. It will be a form of employment, and can be exported to other countries that produce biodiesel, which in turn can boost the exportation level", the spokesperson said.
The island state consists of around 169 islands of which half are inhabited by 100,000 people who are mainly employed in agriculture (65%). The only major cash crops produced on the islands are vanilla, squash and especially copra and coconuts, key to Tonga's largely rural economy. The coconut industry has been plagued by depressed copra prices for years, which is why biodiesel made from coconut oil offers new hope. Moreover, plans to diversify the economy by investing into fisheries and the tourism industry will be facilitated if competitive biofuels can replace imported oil products.
The potential for coconut based biodiesel large enough for Tonga to consider exports. “With many countries and organisations such as the European Union, and the Pacific Islands Forum placing emphasis on renewable energy, the idea of biodiesel using coconut oil seem promising for Tonga,” the spokesperson concluded.
A similar example of the benefits of coconut biodiesel, this time on Vanuatu, is presented in an recent article by the UN's Small Island Nation's website. In Vanuatu, an entrepreneur helps small farmers make a better livelihood by involving them in cottage biodiesel industries. As in Tonga, they cannot count on a steady income and the local economy suffers because of global copra price fluctuations. Biofuels can change this situation [entry ends here].
bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: coconut :: biodiesel :: energy dependence :: small island states :: Tonga ::
Article continues
Small island states often have the disadvantage of being entirely dependent on imported petroleum products. Most of these remote nations have energy intensive economies (often single sector economies, based on tourism, fisheries or agriculture), produce no oil themselves, have limited economic means with which to hedge against oil price fluctuations, which results in over-dependence and a state of permanent energy insecurity. Moreover, as we reported earlier, small island states are the first to experience the real impacts of climate change (in particular sea level changes).
Luckily, many of these islands have natural resources that allow for the production of competitive biofuels (see an overview of biofuels in the Pacific). Some even have the potential to meet their own fuel needs with an excess that can be exported. One such case comes from the Kingdom of Tonga, the Pacific island group that can be found some 2000 kilometres east of Australia. A team of chemical engineers from the Brigham Young University is there to show how oil from coconuts, fig trees or African palm can be transesterified into biodiesel.
As Tonga Now reports, demonstrations of the process are being carried out at local schools by a team of 26 from the Brigham Young University's Chemical Engineering school in Provo, Utah. According to the team leader, Dr. Randy Lewis, they wanted to share their expertise with Tongans, to make them less vulnerable to high oil prices.
Tonga could cut its dependence on petro-diesel by switching to locally produce biodiesel. All it takes is for the islands to stock up on sodium hydroxide and methanol, chemicals needed to transesterify vegetable oil into useable fuel.
A spokesperson for the ministry of Land, Survey and Natural Resources says the island state is considering the production of biodiesel as a source of income for the Kingdom, a potential export opportunity: “If it will be proven cheaper, then it can be produced locally, with a minimum import of methanol and hydroxide. It will be a form of employment, and can be exported to other countries that produce biodiesel, which in turn can boost the exportation level", the spokesperson said.
The island state consists of around 169 islands of which half are inhabited by 100,000 people who are mainly employed in agriculture (65%). The only major cash crops produced on the islands are vanilla, squash and especially copra and coconuts, key to Tonga's largely rural economy. The coconut industry has been plagued by depressed copra prices for years, which is why biodiesel made from coconut oil offers new hope. Moreover, plans to diversify the economy by investing into fisheries and the tourism industry will be facilitated if competitive biofuels can replace imported oil products.
The potential for coconut based biodiesel large enough for Tonga to consider exports. “With many countries and organisations such as the European Union, and the Pacific Islands Forum placing emphasis on renewable energy, the idea of biodiesel using coconut oil seem promising for Tonga,” the spokesperson concluded.
A similar example of the benefits of coconut biodiesel, this time on Vanuatu, is presented in an recent article by the UN's Small Island Nation's website. In Vanuatu, an entrepreneur helps small farmers make a better livelihood by involving them in cottage biodiesel industries. As in Tonga, they cannot count on a steady income and the local economy suffers because of global copra price fluctuations. Biofuels can change this situation [entry ends here].
bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: coconut :: biodiesel :: energy dependence :: small island states :: Tonga ::
Article continues
Saturday, June 02, 2007
The bioeconomy at work: new additive strengthens biodegradable plastics
However, such plastics are not yet optimal for daily use, as they are slightly more fragile than their petroleum-based rivals. DuPont now announces the market introduction of Biomax Strong 120, a polymer additive that tackles the problem by improving the performance of bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) packaging.
The additive toughens PLA packaging materials while maintaining its compliance with food contact requirements in the US and in Europe. The company introduced a similar additive in August 2006 for non-food applications.
As a performance modifier in PLA, both grades of Biomax Strong enhance impact strength, flexibility and melt stability - especially important in rigid applications such as cast sheets for thermoforming and injection molding. When Biomax Strong is used at recommended levels (1-5 wt%) in PLA, packaging made with the additive outperforms traditional products with minimal impact on haze or transparency.
Some companies predict that the market for bio-based plastics will grow by about 20 percent a year as the products are an alternative to petroleum-based packaging such as the widely-used polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In Europe, the bio-based economy also enjoys strong support from citizens (earlier post) who are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious. The bioplastic shopping bag and the plant-based "PET-bottle" are the most obvious symbols of this transition to the bioeconomy:
biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: plastic :: bioplastic :: biopolymer :: biodegradable :: PLA :: bioeconomy ::
On the front of PLA-based bioplastics, NatureWorks is one of the main movers behind the biodegradable packaging trend. Companies like US-based Naturally Iowa have been using PLA for packaging products like organic milk. Retailers like Delhaize in Belgium and Auchan in France have also been testing PLA for various food packaging.
Demand for bioplastics in Europe experienced its first boom last year, according to a survey by the European Bioplastics Association, which has about 70 members (previous post). Currently bioplastics account for less than one percent of the European plastics market. But serious investments and research programs are underway, with the EU's SustainPack project, the largest of its kind, promising to bring radically new and highly competitive forms of bio-based packaging to market between 2010 and 2015 (earlier post).
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posted by Biopact team at 6:21 PM 0 comments links to this post