Research — Palm oil as bio-diesel
The Malaysian government is refocusing the use of palm oil to the production of bio-diesel to
cater for the huge demands from European countries; it has encouraged the
building of bio-diesel plants. This is due to the higher prices of fuel and
increasing demand for alternatives sources of energy in the Western world.
The plants, which will start operating middle of next year and produce 100,000 tonnes of
bio-diesel annually. Strong demand for bio-diesel from Europe as well as
Colombia, India, South Korea and Turkey was fuelling the industry's growth, as
more countries sought to reduce their reliance on oil.
Malaysia has already begun preparations to change from diesel to bio-fuels by 2008, including
drafting legislation that will make the switch mandatory. From 2007, all diesel
sold in Malaysia must contain 5% palm oil. Being the world's largest producer of
crude palm oil, Malaysia intends to take advantage of the rush in finding
cleaner fuels.
With the growth of emphasis on bio-diesels presenting a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels its
important to recognise that these benefits are partly negated when forest is
cleared to make room for bio-diesel crops such as oil palm. NGOs are now
alerting the international arena to the fact that despite millions of hectares
of land standing unplanted in Indonesia there is still clearance of tropical
hardwood forest for palm oil plantations. Furthermore, as the remaining
unprotected lowland forest dwindles, developers are looking to peat swamp for
conversion, which causes a draining of the peat and this not only unlocks the
carbon in the surface covering of trees, but begins an
oxidation process of the carbon in the peat reserves which can be between 5,000 to 10,000 years worth of
carbon locked into the ground. Drained peat is also at very high risk of forest
fire, and there is a clear record of fire being used to clear vegetation for
palm oil development in Indonesia.
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Source - www.wilkipedia.com
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