The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) an agency of government, has developed a new alternative energy source, B5 biodiesel blend, derived from the castor seed.
The Corporation’s Group General Manager, Winston Watson, says the unique blend has the potential to replace 97,000 barrels of imported oil, significantly cutting the country’s annual energy bill.
Save the country J$540 million annually
The PCJ anticipates that replacement of the diesel fuel currently being used with its B5 blend could save the country about J$540 million per year in imports alone.
“We are fairly optimistic that…our B5 blend of biofuel will be an affordable option for driving energy efficiency in the transportation sector,” Watson said.
Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning diesel replacement fuel made from natural, renewable, agricultural resources. Like petroleum, diesel can operate in combustion-ignition engines, including cars, trucks, heavy equipment and boats. It can also be used in oil-based home heating systems.
Beneficial to clean energy sector
Watson said “This is very good for the clean energy sector. Because the castor oil comes from plants, essentially what will happen is that we will be growing more trees and that will reduce greenhouse gases as well in terms of the trees absorbing CO2 (carbon dioxide),” he said.
“More importantly, when you use the castor oil, it reduces the sulphur. When you mix it with regular diesel, it reduces the amount of Sulphur. this reduces the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” he explained further.
The PCJ Manager anticipates that the project will also create a boost within the local agricultural sector as farmers will be called upon to mass-cultivate the castor plant for commercial production of the fuel.
The PCJ has been conducting small-scale vehicular trials of the B5 formula since January this year. 7,000 kilometers of road miles have been logged so far.
Ongoing research
Further research and refinement of the blend is being carried out by PCJ in collaboration with the University of Technology (UTech). Results from the research will be used to create a document to implement a biodiesel energy policy for the country.
Energy Minister, Andrew Wheatley, hails the collaboration between the entities.
“It’s really an excellent partnership. Castor oil is known for its energy generating potential. It’s at that level of collaboration that we want to encourage our local scientists to continue to innovate,” he said.
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