REMOTE ISLAND IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA PRODUCES BIO- DIESEL FUEL

A company based on a Remote Island off the Madang coast of Papua New Guinea has started producing Bio-Diesel fuel using coconuts growing on a Plantation on the Island. 




PNG Biofuels has invested into a pilot program to use the humble coconut to produce environmentally friendly bio-diesel fuel. 

It comes after copra prices plummeted forcing large plantations on the Island to trim their operation.

 
The concept of producing Bio-diesel fuel from coconut oil is something of the imagination, yet on the small Island of the Madang Province; a Company operating on a plantation on Karkar Island has succeeded in making its own fuel.

Local employee working the coconut machine


“World copra prices dropped, so for the last two years we tried to lift the value of copra” says Bret Middleton who belongs to an Agricultural family connected to the Island for almost 100 years.


The Middleton’s Kululili Plantation on Karkar Island is supplying Coconuts’ growing on hectares of land to develop an environmentally friendly fuel alternative. 


“It is hundred percent bio-diesel, it can be used purely as fuel, you can also mix it with normal diesel (fossil fuel).

“Its better then diesel because it doesn’t emit dirty smoke, its environmentally safe,” says Middleton.


PNG Bio-Fuels General Manager, Kevin Bolton and a small group of locally employed staff are producing the country’s first workable Bio-diesel fuel from the humble coconut. 


Coconut Oil extract

“We are not making a form of bio-fuel which is made from mixing coconut oil and normal diesel, but bio-diesel fuel from a process called transesterification 
that changes the molecular structure of coconut oil,” he said.

The alcohol reacts with the fatty acids to form the mono-alkyl ester (biodiesel) and crude glycerol. The reaction between the biolipid (fat or oil) and the alcohol is a reversible reaction so excess alcohol must be added to ensure complete conversion. 


The first known usage of this kind of fuel in Papua New Guinea was in Bougainville during the crisis, however, the oil wasn’t refrained to remove access water and salts containing fatty acids in the coconut oil, causing rusting in the engines. 
 


This product is powering generators for lights, plantation machinery and trucks on Karkar.

Bio-diesel

The Bio-diesel fuel is being used on all machinery that has diesel engines.


If the project becomes successful and help is given were needed the technology can be used to create an alternative fuel to compliment fossil fuel and make use of coconut lying idle since the copra prices dropped. 


Papua New Guinea’s rural areas that have hectares’ of land containing coconuts trees, grown during better days of high copra prices.

The prospect of the technology will be beneficial to over  60,000 people who will sell their copra to the larger planation and also be employed in the company.

Other rural area's in Papua New Guinea will also benefit in time, as the company expands from its humble beginnings on Karkar Island.

 View on EMTV News link

 From Coconuts to Biodiesel Fuel