INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Volume 3, No 1, 2012 Copyright by the authors - Licensee IPA- Under Creative Commons license 3.0 Research article ISSN 0976 4402 Potentiality of Jatropha curcas on large scale cultivation as a renewable biodiesel alternative Harika D 1, Swamy A.V.V.S 1, John Vijay T 2 1- Department of Environmental Sciences, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Nagarjunanagar 522 510, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh 2- Oracle India, Oracle's Solutions Services India, Bangalore rksingh_em@yahoo.com doi:10.6088/ijes.2012030131037 ABSTRACT India consumes 7.8% of coal and 3.1% of the world s petroleum (26.7 la. Barrels /day) and ranks 3rd place in the coal consumption and 6th in the world in terms of energy consumption respectively. But we have only 0.8% of the fuel resources in India with which we can meet the requirement up to 22 % only. Moreover the fuel resources are getting degraded with over consumption and there should be a supporting renewable alternative without which we need to face a severe threat in the nearby future (Agarwal D & Agarwal A K, 2007). To overcome this, several works are going on around the globe and even in India. In this regard, we have concentrated on the production of biodiesel from Jatropha curcas L. which is a promising substitute as it is cultivable even in waste lands (Akbar E et al, 2009) ( Chaudhury D R et al, 2007). The govt. of India has identified 400,000 sq. km (98 M. Acres) of such lands in which Jatropha can be grown. A field work was conducted in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh to confirm the consistency in the seed output by adopting new strategies. Plants are grown in different spacing and it is proved that with the increase in spacing the seed output is also increased. The work is still going on to focus the possibility in the consistency of the seed output, thus make it profitable to the cultivators by growing biodiesel farms and also making it a sustainable renewable alternative to the limited fossil fuels by meeting the India s total biodiesel requirement of 36 MMT in 2011-12, at least up to some extent. Keywords: Andhra Pradesh, Biodiesel, Jatropha curcas L., Seed Output, Spacing, Wastelands. 1. Introduction Most of the countries in the world are striving hard to replace the fossil fuels, with bio diesel and other eco friendly renewable energy resources to meet their fuel requirements. India is having only 0.8 fuel resources, with which we can meet the requirement up to 20%,for the remaining we need to depend upon the imports. The difference between the consumption and availability can be partly met by substituting it through bio fuels (Rao Y V et al, 2008), chemically the mono alkyl esters of fatty acids which are produced by the transesterification with Methanol or ethanol (Knothe, G. et al, 2006). Therefore, in recent years several researches have been carried out to use vegetable oils as fuels in engines as biodiesel (Pramanik, K. 2003).. Furthermore, the farmers would benefit by cultivating these crops in rural areas (Akbar E, et al. 2009). Jatropha Sps. and Pongamia Sps. Are the well known plants for the production of biodiesel, especially in the areas like Andhra Pradesh where the biodiesel plant cultivation has been on the increase. About 2, 65,000 sq.km. waste lands are proposed for growing Jatropha curcas. It is a native of tropical America, but now thrives in Received on June 2012 Published on July 2012 393
many parts of the tropics and sub-tropics in Africa/Asia (Gubitz, G.M., et al. 1999). The seeds of J. curcas yield an oil (30-40 ), which can be used as fuel for diesel-engine (Agarwal D & Agarwal A K, 2007) and also useful as illuminant, lubricant and soap & candle-making (Suhas P Wani et al, 2006). 2. Material and methods The study was conducted at Nandigama mandal, Krishna district (Latitude: 16 10 N Altitude: 81 08 E) in Andhra Pradesh (Figure 1). The climatic condition of the site is semiarid. The general characteristics of the soil are mentioned in Table-1. There is a significant variation in the seasonal temperature. May is the hottest month of the year with a mean maximum temperature of 40-45 C. The soil of the experimental site is black with fine gravel. Soil analysis made for a no. of samples which were collected at the constant intervals (twice /thrice in a month) using quartet method. Samples were taken at random at surface (0-6 cm depth) and sub-surface (up to 15 cm depth) levels. Figure 1: Jatropha plantation at the experimental site Figure 2: Flowering stage 394
Figure 3: Fruiting stage Table 1: General quality of the soil Surface level Sub- surface level Soil type Heavy soil, Alkaline Heavy soil, Alkaline ph 8.10 8.14 Ca Rich Rich Salinity 2.39 mm/cm 2.51 mm/cm T.O.C. Less Less Available P 70 kg/ Acre 49 kg/ Acre Available K 269 kg/ Acre (High) 269 kg/ Acre (High) The plants were maintained at different spacings (3 2m, 2 2m, 1 1m). All these plants were VAM inoculated at the time of implantation (one tablet /plant) to enhance the growth of Mycorrhizae and have secondary roots as they were raised up by cuttings (Ratageri R H, et al. 2005). The soil is added with Gypsum initially and later Super Phosphate @150 kg/ha is added. Drip is provided for supplementing the water. The physical growth, flowering, fruiting and seed output are recorded for every 3 months in the study area and the results were compared with various other plantations of Krishna district (Nandigama and Nuzvid plots) for crowding effect, watering effect, nutrient effect. 3. Results and discussion The growth performance of the experimental site is compared to that of other plantations of Krishna district (Nandigama and Nuzvid plots). Analysis of soil samples indicated that as plant spacing increased, the soil nutrient content also increased (Chaudhury D.R. et al, 2007). This was confirmed by the presence of higher percentage of N, in the plots of 3 2m, 2 2m when compared to the densest plot (1 1m). In the Nuzvid plot, where there is no proper watering was done, poor growth is observed. In the drip plantation (experimental plot) not 395
only the vigour of the plant but also yield is also considerably good. In the experimental plot, where fertilizers were applied, the flowering started by the end of the second year (Figure-2). After pruning there was an increase in the number of branches (Sharma N and Sarraf A, 2007). Yield is reported by 2-3 kg/plant (Figure-3). On contrast to this, in other two plots where fertilizers were not applied, the flowering is not reported even after the second year and yield is also not reported so far. Plant density effects the growing space of the individual plant and often used as a measure of competition. Though per hectare yield or biomass can be greater at higher plant population but poor availability of water or soil nutrient may limit the productivity. (Chaudhury D.R. et al, 2007). Table 2: Comparison of growth conditions in the experimental plot with those of other plantations (at the age of 2 ½ year) Experimental plot Nuzvid plot Nandigama plot Total area(in acres) 1 5 50 Type of plantation Block Block Mixed With Paddy spacing 1 1m 2 1m 3 3m, 2 2m No. of plants /ha 10000 5000 1111, 2500 Soil type Black With Fine Gravel Red Sandy Loam Black With Fine Gravel VAM applied Yes Yes Yes Watering Drip No Specific Bore Well Mode Plant height 10-12 Ft 8-10 Ft 8-10 Ft No. of branches/plant 12-15 8-10 10-12 Flowering Good Not Yet Poor Reported Fruiting Good Not Yet Poor Reported Yield 2-3 Kg/Plant Not Reported < 1-2kg 4. Conclusion Several reports have been observed and the information collected from the cultivators revealed limitations for their large scale cultivation like inconsistency in the growth and seed output, even in irrigated lands. Improved strategies are needed for water and nutrient management to ensure optimal air conditions and suitable nutrient status and thus the yield can be maximized. The work is still going on to derive the fruitful results by implementing root zone management strategies and to find out the reasons for the limitations and also favorable conditions for the large scale cultivation. 5. References 1. Agarwal D, Agarwal A K, (2007), Performance and emissions characteristics of Jatropha oil (preheated and blends) in a direct injection compression ignition engine, Applied Thermal Engineering 27, pp 2314-2323. 396
2. Akbar E, Yaakob Z, Kamarudin S K, Ismail M& Salimon J, (2009), Charactrstics and composition of Jatropha curcas oil seed from Malaysia and its potential as biodiesel feedstock, European Journal of Scientific Research, 29(3), pp 396-403. 3. Chaudhury D.R., Patolia J.S., Ghosh A., Chikara G., Boricha G.N. and Zala A., (2007), Changes in soil characteristics and foliage nutrient content in Jatropha curcas plantation in relation to stand density in Indian wasteland. Expert seminar on Jatropha curcas L., Agronomy & Genetics, 26-28 March2007, Wageningen, The Netherlands, Published by FACT Foundation 4. Gubitz, G.M., Mittelbach M., Trabi M., (1999), Exploitation of the tropical oil seed plant Jatropha curcas L. Bioresource Technology 67, pp 73-82. 5. Knothe, G., (2006), Analyzing biodiesel: standards and other methods, Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society,83, pp 823-833. 6. Pramanik, K. (2003), Properties and use of Jatropha curcas oil and diesel fuel blends in compression ignition engine, Renewable Energy, 28, pp 239-248. 7. Rao Y V, Sudheer V R, Hariharan V S & Raju A V S, (2008), Jatropha oil methyl ester and its blends used as an alternative fuel in diesel engine, International Journal of Agriculture & Biology, 1(2), pp 32-38. 8. Ratageri R H, Hiremath V T, Lakshman H C & Taranath T C, (2005), Interacive effect of Vescicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (Glomus fasciculatum) and Rhizobium on Pongamia pinnata (L.) pierre seedling growth, Nature Environment and Pollution Tech, 4 (4), pp 501-505. 9. Senthil Kumar, M., A. Ramesh, B. Nagalingam, (2003), A comparison of the different methods to improve engine performance while using Jatropha oil as the primary fuel in a compression ignition engine, International conference on energy and environmental technologies for sustainable development, pp 267-274. 10. Sharma N & Sarraf A, (2007), Agronomy: Jatropha flowering &fruiting induction, Expert seminar on Jatropha curcas L., Agronomy & Genetics, 26-28 March2007, Wageningen, The Netherlands, Published by FACT Foundation. 11. Sharma R.C. and Rana D.S, (2007), Effect of growth media, seed size and depth of sowing on growth and quality of seedlings of Physic Nut (Jatropha curcas Linn.), Indian Journal of Forestry, 30(4), 467-473. 12. Suhas P Wani, Osman M, Emmanuel D Silva & T K Sreedevi, (2006), Improved livelihoods and Environmental protection through biodiesel plantations in Asia, Asian Biotechnology and Development Review, 8(2), pp 11-29. 397