British biodiesel producer claims breakthrough, Two-part seminar on biodiesel scheduled

British biodiesel producer claims breakthrough
NewKerala.com - Ernakulam,Kerala,India
By Prasun Sonwalkar, London: D1 Oils, a major British biodiesel producer with tree plantations in northeast India, has claimed a breakthrough in its bid to ...

By Prasun Sonwalkar, London: D1 Oils, a major British biodiesel
producer with tree plantations in northeast India, has claimed a breakthrough in
its bid to become a global producer of environmentally-friendly
biodiesel.

The company, based in Middlesborough, reported that it successfully made its first fuel from jatropha oil using its D1 20 refinery.

The company has been working for the past five years to create a
global network of jatropha plantations and refineries to make biodiesel - a
blend of conventional diesel and vegetable oil that is said to cut carbon
emissions by up to 80 percent.

As part of the plantations network, it has entered into a joint venture with Indian tea major Williamson Magor in northeast India. The joint venture will see around 25,000 hectares of jatropha
planted in the region during 2006.

Reports say that while its technology has made fuel using rapeseed, soy and palm oil, the 20 tonnes of biodiesel made at its testing site in Lancashire is the first batch to successfully use oil from the jatropha curcas tree, D1's proposed main feedstock.

Chairman Karl Watkin told The Journal, Newcastle: "This
is a huge step for the company. We have taken a tree, which we identified as a
feedstock five years ago, and used it to grow and convert into
biodiesel.

"Everyone said we had no chance, but we have done it.
It's a great result - the team have done a fantastic job."

Watkin said that independent tests on the biodiesel - the first to be made in Britain
with jatropha - confirmed it had met the European EN14214 standard for fuel.

He added: "The people testing it said it was the best biodiesel
sample they have ever tested in the UK."

Elliot Mannis, CEO of D1
Oils, told the newspaper that a recent study had found that "as a non-edible and
drought-resistant crop, jatropha is potentially an economically, socially and
environmentally sustainable contributor to the challenges of energy security in
India".

Speaking about the company's deal with Williamson Magor,
Mannis said: "India is going to be a key location for the production and
consumption of biodiesel from jatropha and comprises the largest component of
our current planting programme."

He said the deal with Williamson Magor is "in addition to the contract farming programme currently being undertaken through D1's joint venture in southeast India, D1 Mohan Bio Oils".

He added: "It takes us for the first time into the northeast, where there are significant areas of marginal and unused land available for planting jatropha.

"Williamson Magor's experience of large-scale planting
and its excellent relationships with farmers make it a strong
partner."

Two-part seminar on biodiesel scheduled
News-Review - Roseburg,OR,USA
ROSEBURG: Nick Lockard will present a two-part seminar on the theory and production of biodiesel Saturday at the Alternative Energy and Sustainable Living Fair ...