Hawaii crop scientists test jatropha, oil palm

Soil and crop scientists are undertaking a range of research projects in Hawaii aimed at testing the viability of growing biofuel and bioenergy crops like Jatropha curcas and the African oil palm. The University of Hawaii's Poamoho Experimental Farm is test-growing the jatropha tree for a basic set of agronomic studies. University of Hawaii researchers planted a first crop of jatropha in January and they are already starting to bear fruit. A similar plot at the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center in Kunia has also flowered and borne fruit.

Jatropha trees and their oil-rich seeds are seen as a promising biofuel feedstock that could be grown by rural communities for the production of biodiesel, bio-power and organic fertilizer.

Jatropha curcas quick facts:

• Shrub native to Latin America, Caribbean, subtropical and tropical zones
  
• Starts yielding after second year, matures at year 5, lives for up to 50 years
  
• Seeds used to produce biodiesel in India, Myanmar, across Africa
• Oil content of seeds: 40-60 percent; non-edible oil
  
• Potential oil production: 1200 liters per hectare/300 gallons per acre
• Agronomists & plant biologists working on breeding improved varieties
• Grows in a variety of conditions and soils, can withstand high temperatures and drought
• Can help combat erosion, soil degradation, nutrient depletion
  
• Generates stream of useful byproducts: seedcake (organic fertilizer, potential for animal feed), glycerin, pharmaceuticals, latex
  
• No mechanised harvest yet, intensive manual labor

Mike Poteet, a crop scientist with the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, believes the crop has the potential to be part of a new type of 'energy agriculture' in Hawaii that could revitalize the agricultural sector across the state. Poteet wrote a report last year that suggested Hawaii could grow enough biodiesel crops to reduce imported diesel by 20 percent - perhaps 150 million gallons (567 million liters) a year, or around 10,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. But he says the effort is still in its infancy.

Plans are underway to build two large biodiesel plants in Hawaii. A Seattle-based company, Imperium Renewables Inc., wants to build a $90 million processing plant at Barbers Point to produce 100 million gallons (378 million liters) of biodiesel a year, whereas Maui Electric Co. and BlueEarth Maui Biodiesel have also proposed a $61 million refinery on the Valley Isle to produce up to 120 million gallons (454 million liters) a year of biodiesel to produce electricity. Both companies would start operations using imported vegetable oil. But both also have said they would eventually like to use local crops:
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According to Richard Ogoshi, a crop researcher at the College of Tropical Agriculture at UH-Manoa, the market is there but agricultural efforts are needed to meet the demand. But as long as farmers don't know whether a crop like jatropha is commercially viable, they won't risk growing it.

It's hoped the research going on now will determine what crops might work best in different growing conditions in Hawaii and what plants will give farmers the best return.

Oil palm
Bill Steiner, dean of UH-Hilo's College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, is leading a UH-Hilo effort to begin research in growing different types of oil palm on 120 acres of land in Pauuilo on the Hamakua coast.

The oil palm is an extremely profitable crop in South-East Asia, but in Hawaii it has never been planted on a large scale. For this reason, Steiner says that until somebody shows it's feasible, it's going to be difficult for a landowner to put his money into it.

So far, Steiner has about $45,000 and is seeking more funding. UH-Manoa and the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center are sharing a $150,000 state Department of Agriculture grant. UH-Manoa also received another $250,000 from the Legislature this year, said Goro Uehara, a soil scientist with the College of Tropical Agriculture.

Marginal land
UH-Manoa is starting with jatropha because it has already been grown successfully elsewhere. It also can be grown on marginal agricultural land, Uehara said. "We have to find crops that will grow in underutilized areas. We don't want to compete with prime agriculture," Uehara said.

UH has identified plots of land on different islands with varying conditions to plant jatropha and other potential fuel test crops including kukui, castor bean, soy bean, sugar, sugar beet and sweet potato. Scientists are also looking at haole koa and some varieties of grass that could be used with cellulose-technology to make fuel.

Byproducts
Another part of the research is looking at byproducts from fuel plants into other salable products, such as animal feed or pharmaceutical products, Poteet said. The sap of the jatropha is similar to latex and that may also have some value, he added. "It could mean new jobs and new businesses," Steiner said. "It could be very interesting for Hawaii besides leading us down a path towards more energy independence."

The researchers emphasized that they are three to six years away from being able to determine the economic viability of fuel crops in Hawaii and the best ways to grow them. "We are in the infant stages," Poteet said. "There's a very great potential for this industry but we've got to have the support to get things off the ground."

Large picture: Richard Ogoshi, systems agronomist at the University of Hawaii's Poamoho Experimental Farm, looks over a test plot of jatropha trees. Credit: Richard Walker.

References:
Honolulu Star Bulletin: Tree holds promise for future of biofuel - July 23, 2007.

Checkbiotech: Tree holds promise for future of biofuel - July 32, 2007.

University of Hawaii system.