Indian companies also enter biofuel business in Ghana

India’s biggest investment in the sector so far in Ghana, which is to the tune of US$45 million is by the Ghana subsidiary of the Indian company, Hazel Mercantile. The Mumbai-based company which is a distributor of chemicals and petrochemical products intends to cultivate jatropha to produce biofuel.

The reports quoting an official of the Ghana Investments Promotion Council (GIPC), Augustine Acheampong Otto, who is Director of Global and Regional Operations revealed that another Indian company has already secured land in the country for the same purpose, but he did not name the company.

He however, said the company has made an investment commitment of US$40 million to cultivate jatropha and process biofuel in Ghana.

According to Mr. Otoo, the Indian company which started talks with the GIPC last year, has already set up office in Ghana at the beginning of this year.

“They are asking for 50,000 hectares. That is not difficult for us, as an Israeli firm had asked for 100,000 hectares and we were able to secure it in four areas close to each other,” he said.

He added, “Netherlands has started with about 100 acres in the northern part of the country. The Chinese have started a pilot project. Germans and Israelis are also here, along with Belgium and Italy.”

The rising interest of foreign businesses in the alternative energy sector in Ghana, is not without some costs and social challenges to the country which is mainly an agriculture economy.

Agriculture employs about 60 per cent of the population in Ghana and contributes about 35% of GDP. The sector contributes about 40 to 50% of total foreign exchange earnings, but only about 16% of arable land is used for agriculture.

But the country imports almost everything it eats. The country produces only 21% of its rice and about 42% of its maize requirements.

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posted by Sudha @ 11:56 PM 0 Comments

Jatropha- The Fuel Of Future

The Indian Army which is actively particiapting in the program has planted Jatropha in 300 hectares to conduct key tests and uses oil from the plant’s seed as bio-diesel to power its tanks. The fuel mix comprises 80 per cent diesel and 20 per cent Jatropha oil. The Army is keen on Jatropha because it believes in case of war the first casualty will be import of petroleum products.

There are now several hundred hectares of Jartopha plantations across the country without any government push, policy or subsidies that’s because Jatropha is a hardy species and can grow on wasteland. It grows almost anywhere, even on gravelly, sandy and saline soils. It can thrive on the poorest stony soil and grow in the crevices of rocks.

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posted by Sudha @ 9:24 PM 0 Comments

Jatropha Project for Himachal

Jatropha has been grown on an experimental basis in the low-lying Una and Bilaspur districts. This has encouraged the government to promote its production on a large scale in the lower hills.

Experts say jatropha is a hardy plant, which can also be grown in wastelands. The seeds of the plant are a rich source of eco-friendly oil. It produces more than four times bio-diesel than soyabean and 10 times more than corn.

The trees produce around 1,600 litres of oil per hectare. The demand for bio-diesel is growing by the day due to shrinking reserves of conventional sources of oil across the globe, besides the caused to the environment.
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posted by Sudha @ 9:52 PM 0 Comments

Jatropha Cultivate in Global - D1 Oils

November 11, 2007 (Hindu Business Line) - The UK-based global biodiesel producer D1 Oils plc — the world’s largest commercial jatropha cultivator — is targeting around 3.5 lakh hectares of jatropha plantations across India during the next four years, besides plans to invest in the setting up of downstream extraction units and necessary supply chain services in the country.

The company, which recently entered into a partnership with British Petroleum, expects to start producing up to 1,000 tonnes of crude jatropha oil in the country by as early as next year, the CEO of D1 Oils India Pvt Ltd, Mr Samiran Das, told Business Line.

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posted by Sudha @ 12:46 AM 0 Comments

Jatropha in India - Thar Technologies

Pennsylvania company using $2M U.S. government grant to develop one-step biodiesel process to be used in new plant.

Pittsburgh, Penn.-based Thar Technologies said it plans to build a biodiesel plant in Rajasthan, India, using the region's karanj and jatropha crops.

Thar CEO Lalit Chorida said the company plans to take advantage of the region's policy to give 30 percent of wastseland to private companies seeking to grow the two biodiesel feedstocks. Thar plans to grow some of its own feedstock and buy the rest from area farmers.

Thar is seeking 20 acres around Jaipur on which to build the plant.

Thar recently received a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. government's Advanced Technology Program to develop its biodiesel production process.

The company is working on that single-step biodiesel process at its headquarters in Pennsylvania. That method uses carbon dioxide, instead of hexane, to extract oil from seeds and create biodiesel, using 25 percent less energy and reducing cost by 14 percent...
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posted by Sudha @ 8:43 PM 0 Comments