SUSTAINABLE BIOFUEL PRODUCTION FROM JATROPHA OIL: THE CASE STUDY OF THE JATROMED PROJECT

The aim of this paper is to present the mechanisms for the reinforcement and upgrading of poor rural areas in developing countries through the extraction and use of high quality bio-oil by cultivating the energy crop Jatropha curcas L. In order to reach this goal, five countries, namely Greece, Italy, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria have been granted by EU to implement the JatroMed project: Evaluation of the energy crop Jatropha curcas L as a mean to promote renewable and sustainable energy for the Mediterranean region (www.jatromed.aua.gr). Eight worldwide selected genotypes of Jatropha curcas have been successfully planted in three low income rural sites of Egypt, Morocco and Algeria. Each country has established four genotypes (two common for comparison reasons and two different). Each genotype is cultivated in one hectare and is treated under different levels of fertilization, irrigation and pruning, in order to determine the optimum combination of genotype X environment X treatment for each country. The mechanical harvesting of J. curcas is studied and new harvesting machine is developed by modifying existing harvesters and validating the results with field tests. The economic analysis of the processes (from sowing to biodiesel production) is performed by applying Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) and Activity Based Costing methods to calculate the annual equivalent costs. Labour, fertilizer, irrigation, transportation, oil extraction and oil transformation to Jatropha Methyl Ester (JME) costs are calculated separately to identify critical cost items. The economic effects of all possible combinations of the added treatments for the eight genotypes are determined. In order to evaluate the environmental impact of using J. curcas as an energy crop for biodiesel production, a Life Cycle Energy Analysis method is applied (LCEA). Greenhouse Gas Emissions Assessment is performed considering CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane), and N2O (nitrous oxide). These emissions are raised directly from the use of fertilizers, electricity and fuels and indirectly from the manufacture of feedstock inputs, such as electricity generation, oil extraction and transportation. In addition, social aspects are considered, such as acceptability from the farmers, number of jobs created, participation of women and political implication. The results so far showed that the best performed genotype for Egypt and Algeria is Michoacan and for Morocco is the JCL Max 3.0. The first results coming out from the project indicate that Jatropha curcas seems to be a promising low-input energy crop for low income rural areas, which could effectively cover the energy needs of poor farmers and small villages with limited access to other energy sources.