BICalert

High fossil oil prices have seen great surges of interest in the production of biodiesel derived from biological sources. Biodiesel is promoted as a form of renewable energy that greatly reduces net emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and therefore its use is being touted as a way to decrease the impact of the greenhouse effect and also the possibility of peak oil. In Malaysia, the government is refocusing the use of palm oil to the production of biodiesel to cater to the huge demand from European countries and this has encouraged the building of biodiesel plants. However, due to such an unprecedented surge in feedstock use, the demand for crude palm oil is rising and is expected to climb further, currently trading at over RM2580 a ton. Rising palm oil prices has resulted in reduced margins for producers and has been a reason behind the delay of Malaysia’s introduction of biodiesel to its markets.

According to Managing Director of Ark Bio, one of the group’s member companies, Mr. Khoo Hock Aun, the use of the Jatropha plant is not aimed at replacing palm oil as the premier feedstock for biodiesel production. “Our intention is not to compete with our current oil palm resources, but to serve as an alternative feedstock should crude palm oil prices become too high to be cost effective. This is because Jatropha does not compete with the oil palm plantations for space, being able to grow even on marginal lands, and even under low nutrient conditions.”

ArkBio, the biotechnology arm of Cosmo Biofuels, is aimed at improving the efficiency and viability of this amazing plant. With their motto, “From Gene to Engine”, the company is setup to undertake research in the various possibilities of the Jatropha plant.

Mr. Khoo Hock Aun at Jatropha trial planting farm, Kelantan

The most prominent goal would be to develop superior varieties of the plant, which may have higher yields, higher oil content, better oil quality, pest and disease resistance and producing such materials for mass propagation through tissue culture. However, this is not the only modus operandi that ArkBio has. The company has committed much of its resources into improved plant management for Jatropha curcas in areas such as nutrition, pest and disease control, while the medicinal and other commercial properties of Jatropha curcas are being studied.


Jatropha: The Alternative Green Fuel


High fossil oil prices have seen great surges of interest in the production of biodiesel derived from biological sources. Biodiesel is promoted as a form of renewable energy that greatly reduces net emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and therefore its use is being touted as a way to decrease the impact of the greenhouse effect and also the possibility of peak oil. In Malaysia, the government is refocusing the use of palm oil to the production of biodiesel to cater to the huge demand from European countries and this has encouraged the building of biodiesel plants. However, due to such an unprecedented surge in feedstock use, the demand for crude palm oil is rising and is expected to climb further, currently trading at over RM2580 a ton. Rising palm oil prices has resulted in reduced margins for producers and has been a reason behind the delay of Malaysia’s introduction of biodiesel to its markets.

Cosmo Biofuels group believes that they have the solution to our energy woes in the Jatropha curcas plant. Jatropha curcas, also known as the Psysic Nut, is a hardy tropical perennial shrub which thrives on most soils and marginal lands. Oil can be extracted from the seeds using simple screw press or hydraulic press, while crude jatropha oil can be refined into high grade biodiesel. Under proper management, Jatropha curcas is capable of yielding up to 9 mt seeds per hectare with extraction rates of crude oil from seed varies from 31-37 %, significantly higher than that of rapeseed and other oil-producing vegetation.

According to Managing Director of Ark Bio, one of the group’s member companies, Mr. Khoo Hock Aun, the use of the Jatropha plant is not aimed at replacing palm oil as the premier feedstock for biodiesel production. “Our intention is not to compete with our current oil palm resources, but to serve as an alternative feedstock should crude palm oil prices become too high to be cost effective. This is because Jatropha does not compete with the oil palm plantations for space, being able to grow even on marginal lands, and even under low nutrient conditions.” ArkBio, the biotechnology arm of Cosmo Biofuels, is aimed at improving the efficiency and viability of this amazing plant. With their motto, “From Gene to Engine”, the company is setup to undertake research in the various possibilities of the Jatropha plant.
	Mr. Khoo Hock Aun at Jatropha trial planting farm, Kelantan

The most prominent goal would be to develop superior varieties of the plant, which may have higher yields, higher oil content, better oil quality, pest and disease resistance and producing such materials for mass propagation through tissue culture. However, this is not the only modus operandi that ArkBio has. The company has committed much of its resources into improved plant management for Jatropha curcas in areas such as nutrition, pest and disease control, while the medicinal and other commercial properties of Jatropha curcas are being studied. To achieve such aspirations, ArkBio has been working closely in research and development with many local agencies in five major discipline divisions, mainly agronomy, seed selection and agroforestry trials, tissue culture and genetic modification, post harvest processing as well as bioprospecting. The company believes that it has the crucial expertise to facilitate the jump from laboratory to market, and even the region. Plans are in place to expand their operations, with Kuala Lumpur as the R&D and commercialization center, into the region with marketing centers in key countries, including Thailand, China, Phillipines, Indonesia and India. “One of the reasons of our expansion is that we believe that there would be a strong market for planting materials in these countries as they begin to develop their own Jatropha plantations and feedstocks. Working together, we hope to create a strategic partnership which will allow us to push our company further.” Speaking on future plans for the company, Mr. Khoo implied that further research on Jatropha would continue, while raising the possibility that the company might diverge into other plants as well. “Of course, our current aims are to establish our marketing centers around the region, while we also hope to be able to generate as much IPs from our research in Jatropha as possible as there are so many possibilities from just this one plant. However, we might also see ourselves looking at other avenues in oil production. In fact, the company has been looking into research in algae farming, where saltwater algae has a production potential of 10-20 times more than that of oil palm. However, such technologies are still years away from commercial use.”


For more information on ArkBio, please click here

		By K. C. Liew for MABIC