Nepal Looking to Give Jatropha Biofuels Another Shot

The Nepalese government has formed a committee to study the possibility of making biodiesel from jatropha, locally known as sajiban or kadam. The plant can yield large amounts of oil which can be converted into high quality biodiesel.

The Ministry of Supplies has formed a six-member panel to examine the possibility of producing biodiesel from jatropha seeds to mix with regular diesel. The team includes representatives from the Science and Technology, Population and Environment ministries and the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre.

Over 500,000 hectares of unused land in Nepal can be used to grow jatropha to produce biodiesel and reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels. Jatropha produces oil-bearing seeds which contain oil which can be easily expelled and extracted. The fuel produced from jatropha is less polluting compared to fossil fuels, experts said.