Biodiesel and Sustainable Rural Technologies Program

Recognizing the potential of biofuels for sustainable development in the region, Pilgrim in collaboration with Columbia University has constructed a biofuel lab at Beacon College. The laboratory includes a diesel engine and electric generator head to provide backup power to the school and a biodiesel processing system. A preheating system on the engine will allow it to be fueled on straight vegetable oil as well as biodiesel or fossil fuel based diesel. Of particular interest to the lab is the use of Jatropha vegetable oil.

Jatropha is a hardy oil seed producing shrub that has received significant press recently for its promising potential as a biodiesel feedstock. Special focus has been given to this plant because of its high yield (>1500 liters/hectare compared to soy at ~400 liters/hectare), hardiness (requires as little rainfall as 300 mm/year), non-edibleness (avoids cost swings experienced by edible vegetable oils that are also sold into food markets), and wide availability (over 175 different species exist around the world)1. A particularly good fit for Africa Biofuel programs, Jatropha is being considered in national programs from Mali to South Africa2. Large companies like BP are starting to quickly invest as much as 160 million USD in jatropha plantations for biodiesel production3. In the face of such investment, issues of scaling need to be carefully evaluated.4

As Pilgrim's Biofuel Lab becomes fully operational we hope that the technology tested at the lab will not only provide potential opportunities for Pilgrim's farming coop network, but that this unique focus on co-op scale jatropha systems will provide a sustainable development model for the region.

Footnotes:

1. Small-Scale Production and Use of Liquid Biofuels in Sub-Saharan Africa: Perspectives for Sustainable Development. Untied Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2007.

2. New York Times. September 9th, 2007. Mali's Farmers Discover a Weed's Potential Power.

3. Press Release: D1 Oils and BP to establish global Joint Venture to plant jatropha. June, 2007

4. SciDev.net. December 6th, 2007. Biofuels: Let's look before we leap