Fiji Daily Post - Vatuwaqa, Fiji 6-Nov-2008
By EMELINE NAIKALIVOU
The Ministry of Primary Industries is awaiting approval from the cabinet before proceeding any further with the much awaited Ethanol project.
National Coordinator and Principal Agriculture Officer Viliame Yabakivou however said that the ministry was already in preparation for the upcoming project and this was taken care of by the Extension Services of the ministry.
“The ministry provides technical services to farmers such as advisory services and general agronomic tips that will ensure the right farming methods are met and productive as well,” he said.
“For ethanol because of its immensity, the issue of planting materials will be the issue and the ministry is working towards this with a mind on food security for the people as well.”
“We will also try to increase the number of cassava on the grounds as part of a capacity building programme that will ensure the availability of enough planting materials come planting time for the project cassava,” he said.
It is projected that a total of 10-20,000 farmers will be directly involved in the project which the ministry hopes to kick-start in the central division. An approximate tonnage of 350,000 tonnes will be needed to supply the factory with 1000 tonnes of cassava each day.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture says that demand for cassava for ethanol purpose can be met by producers if the price is attractive ,appropriate machines and land are available and enough planting material are provided.
The Agriculture Ministry’s Director for Extension Services Fiuwaki Waqalala said those four factors greatly contribute to the success of producing cassava for Ethanol; hence any deficiency on any of the factors would hinder the production process.
Mr Waqalala is calling on farmers to consult with staff at the ministry and clarify issues relating to projects before reaching the final decision.
He added that farmers should have positive thinking towards this project and expect greater challenges.
“I am quite certain that this project will be of great benefit to all the involved stakeholders as cassava is adaptable through a wide range of soil types and topography and can be grown by farmers throughout the year by equally a wide range of farmers,” said Mr. Waqalala.
Mr Waqalala said that most importantly the project would be a great salvage to the economy as the sugar industry was on the decline.
Nov 6, 2008
Cassava bio-ethanol plant to open in China
Business Green - London, England,UK 05 Nov 2008
Tom Young
Facility will produce 33 million gallons a year of bio-ethanol from cassava plants
China-based Hainan Yedao Group has reportedly invested $51.5m (£31.8m) in a new biofuel facility that is expected to produce 33 million gallons a year of bio-ethanol from cassava plants.
The plans follow recent moves from the Beijing government to ban the use of grain-based energy crops in bio-ethanol, amid concerns demand had led to a decline in food supplies.
Cassava avoids the ban as it is a root vegetable that represents China's fifth-largest crop yield after rice, sweet potato, sugar cane and maize.
The Guangxi region, next to where the plant is located, accounts for 70 per cent of the country's yield, averaging seven million tonnes a year.
Traditionally ethanol produced from cassava is used for food and pharmaceutical purposes, but it is increasingly being touted as a more sustainable alternative to first-generation biofuels.
China's Beihai Gofar Marine Biological Industry has also announced plans for a 100,000 tonne-per-year cassava-based ethanol plant in the Guangxi region.
The government has also signalled its support for the biofuel sector, with 10 of the country's 22 provinces in China mandating the use of ethanol-blended gasoline in cars.
China ethanol maker gets approval for cassava plant
Cleantech Group - San Jose,CA,USA
November 4, 2008
Hainan Yedao and partners have invested $51.5 million in facility that is expected to produce 33 million gallons a year. Hainan, China-based Hainan Yedao Group (SHA:600238) said it has received approval from experts who inspected its new 100,000-ton (33 million U.S. gallon) ethanol plant in Haikou, in the southern islands of China.
Hainan Yedao and partners have invested 350 million RMB ($51.5 million USD) in the plant, which plans to produce the fuel using cassava, a woody shrub that grows in the subtropical region of southern China.
Cassava is China’s fifth-largest crop yield after rice, sweet potato, sugar cane, and maize. The Guangxi region accounts for 70 percent of the country’s yield, averaging 7 million tons a year.
Hainan Yedao is a liquor and healthcare product maker that announced plans in July to build ethanol fuel projects jointly with a state-owned petrochemical company.
In addition to ethanol, the Haikou plant is expected to produce 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.
The company has leased 4,498 hectares of land in Laos to plant cassava for the facility.
China is the third largest ethanol producer in the world, behind the U.S. and Brazil, according to MarketResearchAnalyst.com (see Coskata enters China ethanol market). Ten of 22 provinces have mandated the use of ethanol-blended gasoline in cars.
But Beijing recently banned the use of grains in fuel ethanol because of concerns about the impact on the food supply (see China considering banning corn ethanol).
The first fuel ethanol plant based on non-grain feedstock in China opened in December. That plant, also China’s first cassava-powered ethanol plant, is located in Beihai, Guangxi.
The facility, operated by a subsidiary of Beijing-based China Oil and Food Corporation (COFCO), is expected to produce 200,000 tons of ethanol and 50,000 tons of cellulosic ethanol annually from 1.5 million tons of cassava.
China's Beihai Gofar Marine Biological Industry (SHA:600538) has also announced plans for a 100,000 ton-per-year cassava-based ethanol plant in the Guangxi region.
CHINA AGRO-TECHNOLOGY TO BUILD BIODIESEL REFINERY
March 10, 2008
Singapore-based China Agro-Technology (OTC: CAGTF) announced today that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Beihai to build a biodiesel refinery in the southern China city.
China Agro, a forestry company, said it expects to invest up to $200 million over the next four years to construct the plant, which it said would produce 2 million metric tons of biodiesel annually at full capacity.
"Biodiesel has the highest demand of any commodity in China. To meet the 2020 B10 Kyoto Protocol requirement, China needs 12,400,000 tons of biodiesel in 2008," said Harry He, founder and chairman of China Agro.
"However in 2007, the supply in China was less than 1 million tons. Therefore, the product from this biodiesel plant will be a very important part of China's effort to meet the requirement."
China Agro estimated that beginning in the first quarter of 2009 it could produce a minimum of 80,000 to 100,000 metric tons and yield a net profit of $30 million to $40 million.
The company also said its advanced leaf growing technology, coupled with a suitable land environment, would make it an essential supplier of Jatropha crude oil.
"More importantly, however, by being able to produce our own refined biodiesel at the Beihai facility, CAT also will be in a strategically important position in the supply of biofuel," said He.
"We are currently forming our team of professionals and consultants to execute the plan."
China Agro said the new refinery should take six months to complete.
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