Biodiesel attributes make it particularly an appropriate technology for the developing world. The technology to produce biodiesel is very simple. One need not be a chemist or engineer to use biodiesel, understand the basic chemistry or build a processor that can fuel a farm. Once while presenting the basics of biodiesel, I met a 11 year old who had just made a few batches of biodiesel in his Garage. The energy industry is typically a colossal industry, but biodiesel's attributes, a low-tech fuel without a necessary economy of scale, make it a fuel, which can democratize the energy industry.
Deleterious environmental effects are often a result of petroleum production, especially in poor nations, which see petroleum exploration as a way to reduce poverty and enter into international markets. Between 1971 and 1991, Texaco extracted more than 1.5 billion barrels of oil from the Ecuadorian Amazon. In order to save millions of dollars, Texaco simply dumped the toxic wastes from its operations into the pristine rivers, forest streams and wetlands, ignoring industry standards. Finally in the developing world, there most of the engines are diesel.
For those in developing nations, biodiesel may offer independence
from expensive oil markets and empowerment to meet their energy
needs from a locally and renewable sources. This is especially
true for isolated communities where, in many cases, two gallons
of diesel are burned just to transport one gallon of diesel
and the price of diesel can be over seven dollars a dollar.
CUBiodiesel has initiated relationships with groups in Columbia,
Mali, Kenya, Nigeria and Nepal to share the knowledge we have
gained to assist a variety of communities begin using and producing
biodiesel.
Previous and Potential Partnerships:
GAVIOTAS
In our pilot, CUBiodiesel and partner BoulderBiodiesel recently
returned from a three-week biodiesel adventure in South America.
In Bogotá, Colombia the groups built the first biodiesel
plant in South America, and the first high altitude tropical
plant in the world. Thanks to Evan Belser, a draft research
paper outlining the trip and the knowledge gained is now available
.
Gaviotas was founded over 30 years ago in the remote savannahs of eastern Colombia - the llanos. It is a village of 200 people living and working together to create and invent a new world that values the ecology and sustains mind, body, and soul. This community had everything. All the equipment was custom manufactured at the site. After three weeks of effort they built a processor capable of producing 400,000 gallons per year, produced 3,000 gallons of cherry-red Palm Oil biodiesel, and converted a tractor to run on Straight Palm Oil. Gaviotas is now powering their generator on 100% biodiesel and have officially ended their dependence on petroleum and other fossil fuel products, by generating their fuel and electricity from biological sources.
Next year, Gaviotas will plant 100 hectares of Palm trees,
not as a monoculture, but ecologically diverse, with many different
forest products. With the oils, they will produce biodiesel
and edible oils, as well as lubricants, soaps, and other products.
With the leftover biomass, they will generate electricity, steam,
and ethanol. And in the future, they will develop hydrogen gas
from the electrolysis of water molecules.
There is potential for very poor agricultural regions to augment the value of their agricultural
production and reduce their dependence on other sources of fuel. Micro-credit can be used
to start the biodiesel process with very minimal cost and commonly available materials most
agricultural regions could reduce the parity of their agricultural product or even increase the
value of that product. In Kenya, Mrs. Florence N. Ndukuyu would like CUBiodiesel to
assist in the development of a biodiesel production facility to help sustain her orphan
project. In the area they already grow sesame, peanuts, soybeans and sunflowers and
want to learn about other potential crops.
For more information about the projects at Gaviotas, check out:
Friends of Gaviotas
How to get involved and other university
resources:
For Those Interested in a potential project colaboration with cubiodiesel, please fill out the
project application form.
Engineers without Boards is a non-profit organization established
in 2000 to partner with developing communities worldwide in
order to improve their quality of life. At CU there is
an amazing possibility for people to get involved with both
groups. EWB
The program in Developing Areas Research and Teaching (DART) is an interdisciplinary
organization at the University of Colorado located on the Boulder Campus intended to
support research and teaching initiatives in Development Studies. It draws its membership
from a wide array of faculty in Arts & Sciences, as well as other units such as
Architecture and Planning.
DART
