Sunday, January 25, 2009


Horse raddish
(Moringa oleifera Lam)
As Biofuel







INTRODUCTION



Long ago, after the discovery of fire, humans have used solid biofuels (such as wood and other biomass) for heating and cooking. Then it followed the development of ways to produce electricity and it became possible to use biofuels to generate electric power as well. Biofuel is a fuel derived from biological materials, including materials from organisms that died relatively recently and from the metabolic by-products of living organisms. They include wood, vegetable oils, animal fats, and animal manure. It can also be obtain from any biological carbon source, but the most common sources are photosynthetic plants. A number of agricultural crops are being grown specifically for biofuel production; including corn, switch grass, soybean, sugar beet, sugarcane, sorghum, and jatropha and others.

Using crops as biofuels underwent two common strategies. One is to grow crops high in sugar (sugar cane, sugar beet, and sweet sorghum) or starch (corn/maize), and then use yeast fermentation to produce ethyl alcohol (ethanol). The second is to grow plants that contain high amounts of vegetable oil, such as oil palm, soybean, algae, or jatropha. When these oils are heated, their viscosity is reduced, and they can be burned directly in a diesel engine, or they can be chemically processed to produce fuels such as biodiesel.




Biofuels are nontoxic and biodegradable. As a result, they are relatively harmless to the environment if spilled. The use of it reduces dependence on petroleum and enhances energy security. Also, unlike fossil fuels, which return carbon that was stored beneath the surface for millions of years into the atmosphere, biofuels can produce energy without causing a net increase of atmospheric carbon. This is because as new plants are grown to produce fuel, they remove the same amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they will release as fuel. It is also cheaper compared to other fuels. These benefits drives people to research for more development of biofuels, includes also the rising of oil prices, concerns over potential oil peaks, greenhouse gas emissions, and some rural development interests.

As biofuels became famous through out the world, a lot of research has been done for its production. The Philippines is the first country to use coconut as a feedstock for biodiesel. As for now the current demand of biofuels in the Philippines is estimated at 980,000 liters per year. Sugarcane, corn, and cassava are also used in ethanol production in the country. Because of increasing demand of biofuel in the country, new researches have been done. Sweet sorghum, a new discovery for the production of bioethanol is already in action and jatropha for biodiesel are also used and now showing great promise as alternative feedstock in the country. Big plans are in place for large scale plantations of the two crops.
Horse raddish (Moringa oleifera Lamk) as biofuel

Moringa oleifera Lam also known as malunggay in the Philippines and Sajina in Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia grows very wildly in hot tropical climate. It is an exceptionally nutritious vegetable tree with a variety of potential uses. It can rebuild weak bones, enrich anemic blood, an excellent source of nutrition and a natural energy booster. It contains seven times the Vitamin C found in oranges, four times the Vitamin A of carrots, three times the iron of spinach, four times as much calcium as milk and three times the potassium of bananas. Malunggay is known as nature’s medicine cabinet by people in the tropical parts of the world. Loaded with nutrients, vitamins and amino acids, it replenishes bodies and provides what you need to get through a hectic weekday or active weekend. Because of its miraculous benefits, malunggay became economically important worldwide and became the center for research of new medicines.

The Malunggay tree grows mainly in semi-arid tropical and subtropical areas. While it grows best in dry sandy soil, it tolerates poor soil, including coastal areas. It is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree that apparently is native only to the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Today it is widely cultivated in Africa, Central and South America, Sri Lanka, India, Mexico, Malaysia and the Philippines. Malungai/Malunggay is planted throughout the Philippines in settled areas at low and medium altitudes and can be found and is available everywhere and anywhere in the country.

RELATED STUDIES


As the Philippines seeks better ways to use its resources in combating climate change, a new discovery by a Filipino biotechnology company based in the U.S. has tapped a wonder plant in the country as a source of biofuel.
Malunggay, scientifically known as Moringa oleifera Lamk, which is widely grown in the Philippines and is considered one the world's most useful plants, is found as a good source of Moringa oil. This oil is believed to be a biofuel source.
Since malunggay can easily be grown in the country, lots of companies in the Philippines such as SECURA International encouraged the Filipino farmers to take advantage of the situation in meeting the demands of the world for the Moringa oil supply to be used as biodiesel.
Malunggay Oil processed as biodiesel has the following properties:
Iodine number better than that of regular diesel, indicating fuel stability.
A cetane number indicating good ignition behavior.
A cold filter plugging point indicating suitability even in winter.



‘Malunggay’ Eyed as Potential Biofuel Source

THE lowly malunggay, which is being eyed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) as a solution to hunger, poverty and chronic malnutrition suffered by women and children in the country is now also being considered as a potential source of biofuel. At least two important government agencies will seriously look into the biofuel potential of malunggay oil and has extended the invitation to Secura International Corp. president and chief executive officer Danilo Manayaga to discuss the market possibility. Secura, a local biotech company, has pioneered in the extraction of oil from the seed of malunggay, scientifically known as Moringa oleifera.Marco Magpili Jr., vice president of the Philippine Agricultural Development Commercial Corporation, a corporate arm of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Dr. Dr. Virginia Teodocio, a consultant of the Department of Energy (DOE) and a member of the National Biofuels Board (NBB) asked Manayaga to make a presentation before members of their respective bodies after hearing the presentation of a team of graduating Masters of Business Administration (MBA) students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which recommended the development of biofuel from malunggay oil. The MIT team of ‘business experts’ validated Manayaga’s claim that malunggay oil has the potential of being a major source of biofuel, next to coconut. Teodocio, who facilitated the massive cultivation of jatropha, locally

known as tuba-tuba, was amazed that the massive cultivation of Moringa can produce massive amounts of oil that can boost the supply of raw materials needed to produce the amount biofuel the country needs.On the other hand, aside from its potential as alternative to fossil fuel, Magpili wants to know whether malunggay can be intercropped with coconut, taking note of its potential to boost farmers’ income, with the supply of seed, as well as leaves for food and feeds. He wants to know whether the oil produced from a Malunggay seed can pass international standard, such as the European and U.S. standards for vegetable oil. Using biotechnology, pure oil can be extracted from the seed, according to Manayaga, a chemical engineer.Secura, which is promoting the massive cultivation of malunggay, is being supported by the DA Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO) which has strategically positioned itself for the massive cultivation of the “miracle tree” to help fight hunger poverty and chronic malnutrition suffered by women and children in the Philippines and for biofuel production. The local biotech company said it is willing to buy malunggay seeds for the production of Moringa oil, requiring at least 500,000 hectares of agricultural land planted to malunggay. (Biolife news service)









ADVANTAGES OF MALUNGGAY AS BIOFUEL


Alternative fuels, such as biofuel has gone far in the industry around the world. The case is done in proving that this fuel is much better than other fuels such as diesel fuel that comes from a non-renewable resource in a lot of things, especially in its price and production. In the case of malunggay tree as biofuel, it has the same significant from other sources of biofuels. They are all good to the environment for the reasons that they are renewable (unlike fossil fuels) and it has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel, clean and is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar. But comparing the advantages of malunggay to jatropha (also a good source of biofuel), malunggay is said to be better. Malunggay is 100 percent usable; all parts are biodegradable, it will not produce toxic by products according to the studies of MIT students. Unlike jatropha, it has a toxic part. Once its oil is extracted, the left-over part becomes a nuclear waste according to the findings.

With malunggay as a biofuel source in the Philippines, the country may in some way minimize the carbon emission to the environment and help other countries reduce the impact of global warming by sharing the benefits of Moringa oil.



PROCESS OF BIOFUEL EXTRACTION FROM MALUNGGAY

Malunggay tree has many parts namely leaves, flower, and seeds which are very useful. Its seeds are the main source of moringa/malunggay oil which is a good source of biofuel. Cold processing method is used to extract the oil from seeds. The seeds of malunggay contain 40% oil that now can be used for many purposes.

Malunggay oil extraction is done the same as the process for extracting oils or fats from vegetable, seeds. First coarsely crushing the material; then conditioning the coarsely crushed material by subjecting it to heat in the presence of moisture; then pressing the conditioned coarsely crushed material in a rotary press whose pressing area has a cross-section which decreases in the direction of the outlet; then extracting the pressed, conditioned, coarsely crushed material by contact with an extraction solvent for the oil or fat; and then recovering the oil or fat.

The malunggay oil will be now ready for used, either for massage or as a source of biofuel production.




AGRIBUSINESS PROSPECTSOF MALUNGGAY AS A BIOFUEL FEEDSTOCK
IN THE PHILIPPINES


Malunggay tree which is known to be a miracle tree is indeed a miracle. It was long ago used as medicine, used as an ingredient in cooking, and its oil was used as an oil massage, and now as a source of biofuel. This discovery gives great impact on the industry around the world especially for the Philippines which is a great producer of malunggay. The country would be the first country in the world to have an edge on Moringa oil production and exports.

Malunggay production in the Philippines will not only help the country to fight malnutrition among the children but also it will contribute to the countries prosperity and control global warming as well. This will also affect the Filipino people because jobs opportunities will boast especially in rural areas where most planting activities are done, so as to decrease unemployment rate in the country.


SUMMARY

Moringa oleifera Lamk or malunggay has a great contribution to the people and to the countries around the world. For its many uses and greatly as a source of biofuel will totally brings good benefits to us. Having a healthy life, clean environment, and long years for more research on how to make the world a better place to live for us and to our next generation.
NATURAL FARMING



Do-nothing farming or no-till farming is the concept of natural farming. Natural farming is another way of farming that uses method that observes the laws of nature and utilizes natural materials and products. It recognizes the abundance of nature and utilizes indigenous or local resources for production. For that, this type of farming has a lot of benefits to the farmers as well as to our nature.

One of the advantages of natural farming is, it is sustainable. It makes all inputs from natural materials, observes the law of the nature and respects the rights of crops and livestock. It heals the soil slashed by chemicals, herbicide and machines. If natural farming is practiced, the soil and water become clean and ecology is recovered.
Natural Farming respects life. Since it doesn’t use chemical substances for its production, it prevents risks in poisoning and pollution. By this, crops and livestock reared by natural farming are very healthy. They have almost no disease and show especially strong resistance to climatic changeability.
High quality and good taste product and better yield are the best benefits a farmer can get out of using this type of farming. Products have much higher nutritional contents such as protein; amino acid, crude fat and other essential nutrient were identified to be as much as 300 percent higher than ordinary products. Chemical residue such as nitrate is almost undetectable, according to some test in products produce in natural farming.
This alterative method of farming also gives a lot of opportunity to people (such as agribusiness graduates) in producing agricultural products in a healthy way. It also expands jobs opportunities in processing and marketing agri. products. Hence, if there is a lot of production in agriculture, it needs people to process it to another useful products, and people who will sell it.
FERTILIZER MANUFACTURER


I
Company: Natures Glory Industries

Central Office: Cebu City, Philippines

Major Brand/s: Natures Bio

Type of Fertilizer: Organic Fertilizer

Other Products: Organic Deodorizer, Organic Animal Feed Supplement, Beneficial Microorganism with Plant Extracts

Other info: Remarkable experience both in agriculture and sales made our company Natures Glory Industries decided to venture in creating a superior quality, all natural and all organic products that would bring mother earths bounty to the people.


II.
Company: Gold Orchard Distribution, Inc.

Central Office: Suite 1403, Future Point Plaza I, 112 Panay Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City, Philippines
Scope: National

Major Brand/s: Gold Orchard

Type of Fertilizer: Inorganic fertilizers (Macronutrients)

Other Products: none

Other info: Phone #: +63-2-3767090 Fax # +63-2-4116294

III.
Company: Priya Chemicals

Central Office: 2, LARISSA, 396B, OFF S t. Rd, MAHIM, Mumbai, India

Scope: National

Major Brand/s: Priya Chemicals
Type of Fertilizer: Organic fertilizers (manufactured), Inorganic fertilizers (Macronutrients), Hydrolysed Proteins
Other Products: Perfectose Liquid, Perfectose PowderPerfectose S , Perfectose GTPronto, Procecap, Ankur, Neemto

Other info: Priya Chemicals is the largest manufacturer of Amino Acids & Amino Acids based products for use in the field of Nutraceuticals, Agriculture, Veterinary, and Poultry & Aquaculture.
Phone #: +91-22-24449379 Fax #: +91-22-24449459
Website: http://www.priyachem.com/


IV.

Company: ARNICHEM CORPORATION

Central Office: Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines

Scope: national

Major Brand/s: VITAL N.

Type of Fertilizer: biofertilizer

Other Products: Vital N, Vital N

Other info: Arnichem Corporation is the only biofertilizer manufacturing firm in the Philippines today. It is a progressive biotech company that produces its own brand of FPA-registered biofertilizer, VITAL N.



V.

Company: Eurostar Trading

Central Office: South Africa

Scope: national

Major Brand/s: Eurostar

Type of Fertilizer: urea

Other Products: Scrap Metals, Sugar, Cement, Construction Steel, FMCG Goods

Other info: Eurostar Trading is an international trading venture with focus on trading bulk commodities. We are experienced international traders working with complete professionalism, honesty and integrity.
Tel: +27 82 457 2512 Fax: +27 866 727 092


Pesticide Manufacturer

I.
Company: Clean Green Life Chemicals

Central Office: Bulacan, Philippines

Scope: National

Major Brands: Repel Gel

Type of Pesticide: Pesticides, Insecticides,

Other Products: Pest Control, Green Product, Insect Repellant

Other Info: Clean Green Life Chemicals is the first bio deterrent services company in the USA. We are a facilities maintenance service provider specializing in pigeon, bird, rodent, insect and pest abatement and remediation services.


II.

Company: Qingdao Hansen Biologic Science Co., Ltd

Central Office: Qingdao Shandong, China

Scope: National

Major Brands: Qingdao Hansen

Type of Pesticide: Pesticide

Other Products: Chemical Additives, Computer

Other Info: We are a basic manufacturer and trading company, we mainly export pesticide, veterinary, and computer. We have export some countries, for example, Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Africa, America, and so on.


III.

Company: Ahcil Laboratories, Inc.

Central Office: Cebu City, Philippines

Scope: National

Major Brands: Antica

Type of Pesticide: Organic Pesticide

Other Products: Cosmetic grade alpha hydroxy acids, Alpha Hydroxy acids,


IV.

Company: Nanjing Aoguang Household Chemicals Co, Ltd.

Central Office: Nanjing Jiangsu China

Scope: National

Major Brands: Lieshou; Suning; Qiaobai

Type of Pesticide: Insecticide
Other Products: Mosquito repellent and other insects killing products, detergent powder, liquid soap, air freshener, dishwashing liquid, mosquito coil, spray insecticide, electrical mosquito killer, mosquito killer
Other Info: Nanjing Aoguang Household Chemicals Co, Ltd. is a main Chinese professional manufacturer of mosquito repellent and other insects killing products.


V.
Company: Guangdong Quanmei Industrial Daily Chemical Co., Ltd.

Central Office: Guangzhou Guangdong China

Scope: National

Major Brands: Guangdong

Type of Pesticide: Insecticide aerosols

Other Products: Mosquito repellent incenses, air-fresheners, playing cards
Other Info: Guangdong Quanmei Industrial Daily Chemical Co., Ltd. is a comprehensive enterprise, which produces healthy home supplies, including insecticide aerosols, mosquito repellent incenses and air fresheners.
AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER



I.
Company: ALPHA MACHINERY & ENGINEERING CORP.

Central Office: CLF Building 1167 Chino Roces Avenue, City of Makati, Philippines

Major Brand/s: ALPHA POWER

Scope: National

Equipment Manufactured: Tractor, Tillers Rice Milling Equipment, Maize/Corn
Shellers, Ridger/Bed Former, Subsoiler, Hand Tractor/Power Tiller
Reaper, Power Thresher, Grain Cleaner, Irrigation Machinery, Batch and Mobile Dryers, Animal Feed Milling Machinery, Coffee Pulper

Other info: Tel. No. 8965556 Fax. 8907202


II.
Company: Payo Manufacturing Corporation, Philippines

Central Office: Payo Manufacturing Corporation, 201 Payo Bldg., Bangkal, Talomo Dist., Davao City, Philippines.

Scope: National

Major Brand/s: PAYO

Equipment Manufactured: Rice Milling, Animal Feed Milling, Corn Sheller, Coffee
Huller, Elevator/Conveyors, Forage Cutter

Other info: Telephone: + 082-297-2796 Fax: + 082-297-0924





III.
Company: KUBOTA AGRO-INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY PHILIPPINES INC
Central Office: Kubota Center, 155 Panay Avenue, Quezon City, PhilippinesScope: National
Major Brand/s: KUBOTA
Equipment Manufactured: MOBILE DRYER
Other info: Tel. No. 9201071 Fax. 9241848


IV.
Company: SOLANDA ENTERPRISES INC.
Central Office: Ands cor. Magallanes Sts. Intramuros, Manila
Scope: National

Major Brand/s: SOLANDA

Equipment Manufactured: DRILLING RIG, PUMP AND ACCESSORIES & PORTABLE SPRINKLER & ACCESSORIES

Other info: Tel. No. 5278261 Fax. 5271315



V.
Company: ACT MACHINERY & METALCRAFT CORPORATION
Central Office: Turayong Cauayan, Isabela, Philippines

Scope: National

Major Brand/s: ACT MMC
Equipment Manufactured: POWER TILLER WITH IMPLEMENTS ATTACHMENT: CAGE WHEEL, PADDY WHEEL, PLOW, RIDGER, ROTARY CULTIVATOR
Other info: Tel. No. 7323587 Fax. 7323587