Future developments are being Jatropha biofuel in the Argentine coast

A list of plants to produce biodiesel, now joins the Jatropha curcas, which goes unnoticed as a mere shrub, but its fruits contain seeds with high oil content with potential for fuel production. Also the products generated by the crop can be used in energy and combustion processes and the generation of biogas.
The group of the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry Research (INCAP), led by Carlos Querini, linked with personnel from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) working in northwestern Argentina in the cultivation of Jatropha curcas. The idea was to see what could be done on an industrial scale with that plant.

"The Jatropha (common name) is a shrub from the tropics that grows on soils unsuitable for other plants. The fruits produce oil that is non-food, which poses no direct competition with other crops, "said Ignacio Huerta, a member of the team.
The interesting thing is that so provides a process and seeks to be as sustainable as possible from the standpoint of energy and the environment.

Jatropha curcas seeds contain inedible oil that can be transformed into biodiesel.

Biodiesel and biogas
The researchers put a lot of seeds brought from Jujuy to an oil extraction process, previously made its shelling, grinding and heat treatment. With these operations, the oil content reached 40-50% in relation to the mass treated. "The biodiesel obtained complies with national and international standards. Even if it is suitable for vehicles with fossil fuel is metered at the rates currently used, "said the researcher.

In addition to the shells of nuts and seeds are proposed its use as solid fuels due to the calorific value in them. However, for meal and glycerin (the latter obtained from the reaction of oil and alcohol to produce biodiesel) and were treated by a digester, with the aim of achieving biogas for use in biodiesel plants themselves. Thus, the output circuit is closed and used.
"It's something new, we find no other publications that blend these two waste streams. Biodigestion is an alternative for the treatment of glycerin and flour. On the one hand, we would be taking on waste treatment and, secondly, it would reduce consumption of fossil energy needed to produce biodiesel, "he added.

Flour
Another feature of the Jatropha is that their meals contain toxic compounds, especially esters of phorbol and therefore can not be used as food. However, the experience of other parts of the world where they are detoxified. "Although we did not assess the level of these compounds, we find some properties that could become positive, especially in protein content and so on, but we can not give a conclusion about it," he said Huerta.

Source El Litoral