Mean Green

Jatropha Curcas is a plant that offers an investment opportunity with amazingly high yields of return and is emerging as a miracle plant and a likely claimant as the king of the next generation of renewable energy sources because it’s berryies contain a quality green bio fuel.

The miracle Jatropha Curcas plants:-

(1) Are already producing a fuel oil that could is supplementing reducing mineral oil supplies.

(2) Are developed through Investment Funds that offer investors astonishing returns, such as 93% Annual return on investment.

(3) Won’t take over arable land used for crop growing because they thrive in hot arid areas.

Exploration for new oil reserves continues, but discovery rate is lower than current consumption rate. Experts may disagree about how long existing oil reserves may last, but they do all agree that it is being used faster than it is being found. BP’s chairman recently indicated that in his opinion, based on today’s extraction rates, there remains only forty-two years supply of crude oil left in the ground.

This paints a bleak picture for the future for nations relying on natural underground oil deposits.The chairman of British Petroleum is quoted as suggesting quite clearly that we are on a fast-track to complete depletion of our natural oil reserves. he gave a time span of well under 50 years at present usage rates. Oil experts across the world differ on the timescale but all agree on one thing:- It’s going faster than new reserves can be found.

It’s a dire situation, beyond doubt.If we can’t uncover more natural deposits of oil than we are using then one thing is inevitable. The oil will run out one day.

While experts do disagree on the time left before ‘doomsday’, no one disagrees that consumption is far outstripping discovery of new reserves. On the subject of the size of existing reserves, one respected figure, Peter Sutherland of UKs PB group put a time limit of just over forty years on the availability of existing known oil reserves.

A sobering thought indeed.

As if the prospect of running out of oil or at least being dependent upon oil suppliers wasn’t a big enough problem, there is also greenhouse gas emissions and global warning posing a threat. Not surprising, then, that there is considerable interest in finding diverse and renewable sources of energy.

The Indian government is well ahead of the rest of the world on addressing the oil and renewable energy shortages in a practical manner. So much so that they have committed 27 million acres of land for the sole purpose of growing Jatropha trees.

The Jatropha plant grows and blossoms in the swathes of land ill-suited for normal farmland up to 1200 miles from Equator. In these poor conditions it produces green berries twice yearly that are easily pressed to emit an oil of the same energy potential as crude oil. For years, until very recently it was viewed as a pest and only used for forming farm boundaries.

Within 5 years, airlines may be flying on Jatropha oil according to Boeing in a recent statement. The company’s director of environmental strategy, Bill Glover said that this could happen once clearance has been obtained from ASTM which is expected in 2010.

The normal habitat for a Jatropha plantation is around the tropics and on marginal soil without the benefit of fertilizers or supplementary water by means of irrigation. Under these conditions there are typically one thousand trees per acre, each producing one litre of oil every year. A small diesel car would be able to run on this production for a full year travelling normal distances. The tropical location of the plantations and the need for labour to tend and harvest the plants does in fact have spin-off benefits.

The benefit of this situation is that many farmers in the typical Jatropha plantation areas are living at subsistence level. By providing them with seedling and teaching them to cultivate and tend the crop, they can increase their living standards at a relatively low cost to the investor. The locals become self sufficient without the need for charity or aid.

It is through well prepared and well managed Investment Programmes that these third world nations could attract the Wrests’ investment for the Jatropha projects. The investors would be helping the poor countries to raise themselves out of poverty and energy-dependence at the same time as enriching the indigenous people and helping to reduce global warming. In return the investor would have the satisfaction that it is his contribution that has allowed all those benefits to arise and would he would be financially rewarded by a very significant return on his investment.

A UK Jatropha Investment company in the United Kingdom is offering a staggering 93% return on investment and claims that the Fund is insured against such risks as Acts of God and civil unrest. This company is open to receive investments from interested parties.

If you are type of person who likes to get in on the ground floor then find out more about the Jatropha Green Oil Investment opportunity by:-

Contacting Patricia Ellis in the United kingdom on +44 (0) 845 226 2931

Or Click Here to go to the JatrophaGreenOilInvestment.com website.

To begin with, cooking is the act of preparing food for eating by the application of heat. It encompasses a vast range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to alter the flavor or digestibility of food.

It is the general preparation process of selecting, measuring and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure in an effort to achieve the desired result. Factors affecting the final outcome include the variability of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools, and the skill of the individual doing the actual cooking.

The diversity of cooking worldwide is a reflection of the myriad nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, economic, cultural, social and religious considerations that impact upon it.

Asian food has an incredible range of flavors and styles. Asian food has become familiar in the Western world, with Asian restaurants on virtually every corner. Now it’s easier than ever to bring that Asian flavor into your own kitchen, even if it’s 9000 miles away from China.

Also, the Mediterranean is a world unto its own when it comes to cuisine. From the oils, sauces and pastas of the Italians to the olives and complicated masterpieces of the Greeks to the exotic grains and intense flavors of the Moroccans, this region of the world covers a lot of ground. No pun intended. So let’s begin our whirlwind tour of the tastes of the Mediterranean.

On the other hand, no ethnic cuisine has penetrated American culture like Mexican food has.

From fast food joints to truly authentic Mexican restaurants, it’s everywhere. But few stop to think how Mexican cuisine originated from the blending of two cultures. During the Spanish conquests in the Americas, typical European food (rice, olive oil, beef and garlic) combined with native Aztec ingredients and became today’s Mexican cuisine that we all know and love.

However, Suddenly food has become too expensive. The shadow of “a new hunger” that has made food too expensive for millions is the result of a sudden and dramatic surge in food prices around the world.

Rising prices for the world’s crucial cereal crops and growing fears of scarcity are careening through international markets, creating turmoil.

Rice is a staple food for half the world’s population. But the sudden surge in prices and restrictions on exports come at a time when stockpiles of rice are at their lowest level in decades.

Egypt decided to suspend rice exports for six months to meet domestic demand and to try to limit price increases.

Egypt’s move was matched by Vietnam, the world’s second largest rice exporter after Thailand, which cut exports by 25 percent and ordered officials not to sign any more export contracts this year.

In the Philippines, officials are raiding warehouses in Manila looking for unscrupulous traders hoarding rice, while in South Korea, panicked housewives recently stripped grocery-store shelves of food when the cost of ramen, an instant noodle made from wheat, suddenly rose.

India and Cambodia also rushed to curb their exports in order to have enough supplies to feed their own people.

At the moment, world rice inventories are said to stand at a mere 72 million metric tonnes about 17 percent of what the world consumes annually.

Additionally, with crude oil soaring above US$100 a barrel, higher fuel prices have driven up the cost of production and increased transportation costs for all foods.

All together, millions of people in China and India have suddenly become relatively wealthy and are changing their eating habits, consuming more meat and chicken, which places a huge demand on cereal stocks.

In China, per-capita meat consumption has increased 150% since the 1980s. But producing more meat requires more feed to raise more animals.

Also influencing the food crisis is the move in North America and Europe to biofuel in an effort to ease global warming and reduce reliance on imported energy.

Biofuel is any fuel that derives from biomass recently living organisms or their metabolic byproducts, such as manure from cows. It is a renewable energy source, unlike other natural resources such as petroleum, coal and nuclear fuels.

Agricultural products specifically grown for use as biofuels include corn and soybeans, primarily in the United States, as well as flaxseed and rapeseed, primarily in Europe. Waste from industry, agriculture, forestry, and households can also be used to produce bioenergy; examples include straw, lumber, manure, sewage, garbage and food leftovers.

Most biofuel is burned to release its stored chemical energy. The largest advantage of biofuel in comparison to most other fuel types is that the energy within the biomass can be stored for an indefinite time-period and without any danger.

A surge in demand for biofuel has resulted in a sharp decline in agricultural land planted for food crops. About 16% of U.S. agricultural land formerly planted with soybeans and wheat is now growing corn for biofuel.

Experts predict world food markets will be locked into an inflationary spiral for at least four years, but some say the crisis could linger for a decade or more.

Dec. 3 is the date when Air New Zealand and Boeing will make the first flight using sustainable biofuels from Auckland using a 747-400 jetliner. Conducted in partnership with Rolls-Royce and UOP, a Honeywell company, one of the airplane’s four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines will be powered in part using advanced generation biofuels derived from jatropha. Air New Zealand now becomes the first airline to use a commercially viable biofuel sourced using sustainability best practices.

Jatropha oil is being promoted as an easily grown biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India and other developing countries. Air New Zealand announced plans to use the new fuel for 10% of its needs by 2013. Jatropha oil is significantly cheaper than crude oil

“This flight strongly supports our efforts to be the world’s most environmentally responsible airline,” said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe. “We recently demonstrated the fuel and environmental gains that can be achieved through advanced operational procedures using Boeing 777s. We’re also modernizing our fleet as we await our Trent 1000-powered 787-9 Dreamliners, which will burn 20 percent less fuel than the planes they replace. Introducing a new generation of sustainable fuels is the next logical step in our efforts to further save fuel and reduce aircraft emissions.”

As part of the fuel verification process, UK-based engine maker Rolls-Royce’s technical team conducted extensive laboratory testing to ensure compatibility with today’s jet engine components and to validate the fuel meets stringent performance criteria for aviation fuel.

“In preparation for Air New Zealand’s test flight we achieved our near-term goal – identifying and sourcing the first large-scale run of sustainable biofuel for commercial aviation,” said Boeing Commercial Airplane’s Managing Director of Environmental Strategy Billy Glover. “The processing technology exists today, and based on results we’ve seen, it’s highly encouraging that this fuel not only met but exceeded three key criteria for the next generation of jet fuel: higher than expected jet fuel yields, very low freeze point and good energy density,” Glover explained. “That tells us we’re on the right path to certification and commercial availability.”

“Laboratory testing showed the final blend had excellent properties, meeting and in many cases exceeding the stringent technical requirements for fuels used in civil and defense aircraft,” said Chris Lewis, Rolls-Royce company specialist for fuels. “The blended fuel therefore meets the essential requirement of being a ‘drop-in’ fuel, meaning its properties will be virtually indistinguishable from conventional fuel, Jet A1, which is used in commercial aviation today.”

To process the jatropha crude, the team relied on UOP’s green jet fuel processing technology based on hydroprocessing methodologies that are commonly used to produce transportation fuels. During processing, hydrogen is added to remove oxygen from the biomass, resulting in a bio-derived jet fuel that can be used as a petroleum replacement for commercial aviation.

Air New Zealand is one of several air carriers working to diversify and secure its energy future through participation in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group. That effort includes a commitment to sustainability criteria for fuel sourcing and commercializing plant-based fuels that perform as well as, or better than, kerosene-based fuel but with a smaller carbon lifecycle. The goal is to create a portfolio of next-generation biofuels that can be blended with traditional kerosene fuel (Jet A) to improve environmental performance.

The alarming effects of pollution in the environment added with the fast depletion and rising costs of fossil fuels, has prompted scientific communities and governments to create measures to alleviate these problems the world over.

One of the solutions that sprang up from laboratories are bio- fuels- plant extracts and compounds which when added to gasoline and petrol will substitute fuel characteristics.

Bio- fuels certainly aids the environment as they are biological in nature and therefore do not add carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Coming from carbon dioxide digesters in nature, they typically remove carbon dioxide and in turn give off the same amount when burnt.

Though still in the introduction stage in the market, bio- fuels has proven to be promising with surprising results- they do not only cost much less to make than gasoline or petrol additives, but elaborate tests has proven that they can also improve vehicle performance and clean emissions! Further tests conducted have also proven that bio-fuels eliminate smog and engine build-up.

A lot of oil companies are slowly picking up the pace in marketing these types of fuel and a lot are reporting sales steadily on the rise due to the affordability and added benefits. There are also new oil market players that cater exclusively to the production and distributing bio-fuels and by-products, now gaining influence off the growing demand for cheaper and cleaner fuel alternatives.

Bio-fuel variants largely used in vehicles today include:

1. Bio- Diesel

For diesel engines. This type of fuel can be used with existing cars with little or no adaptation needed and scores well on the energy ratings. Cars on Bio- Ethanol basically land the same rankings as those running on gasoline. The difference however shows up on the combustion process as Bio-Ethanol only emits the carbon dioxide it has used up in the growth process of its plant source, while burning gasoline or diesel adds more CO2 into the atmosphere due to their underground containment in oil deposits for eons of years.

Large sources of plant extracts usually come from the following:

* Ethanol alcohol from Sugarcane

* Oil extracts from mature Jathropa seeds

* Coconut oil

2. Biogas

Another interesting alternative to fossil fuels, Biogas is the type of gas from animal or plant wastes or a combination of both. A mixture of both has been proven to yield the best results. The animal wastes produce the nitrogen for bacterial growth and vegetable matter supplies the needed carbon.

With the positive market feedback, researchers are still looking and testing other viable plant sources for an even improved fuel additive which will eventually (should the need arise) power vehicles in the future.

As a motorist this is truly a great news- now you’ll get relief over fuel costs and maintenance bills but the most rewarding above all is that in using bio-fuels, you’re contributing to the welfare of your environment.

Drive safely.

Jovir Amatong

jamatong@autoterminal.com

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