Vietnam Okays US$140.6 Mln for Bio-diesel Production Plan

The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has recently approved a plan worth VND2.32 trillion (US$140.6 million) to plant Japotra curcas trees to supply material for bio-diesel production.

 

Under the plan, Vietnam intends to grow 30,000 hectares of the tree to trial producing 30,000 tons of bio crude oil by 2010, the ministry said.

 

The acreage will be expanded to 300,000 ha by 2015 and 520,000 ha by 2025 when the country will build a bio-diesel production plant with a designed capacity of one million tons per year, it elaborated.

 

The tree has been present in Vietnam since the 14th century and is able to grow in impoverished soil and bald hills, the source said.

 

Oil extracted from the tree can be directly blended to diesel of oilfields in accordance with the proportion of 0.5 per cent to 20 per cent in order to create bio-diesel that has better performance and can reduce oil effects on the environment.

 

Vietnam in particular and the world in general are warned of facing energy crisis; therefore, people are looking for various methods of producing renewable and alternative energy sources. The country is encouraging bio-fuel development such as biogas, bio-diesel, ethanol to ease its current power lack.

 

The power-thirsting country plans to turn out 250,000 tons of ethanol and vegetable oil to fuel 1 per cent of the national gasoline demand by 2015. (Vietnam Economic Times)