• Disclaimer and reservation
• Jatropha Curcas general data
• Generative propagation
• Vegetative propagation
• Intercropping
• Spacing / density
• Mowing
• Survival rate and stress conditions
• Pruning, clipping, cutting and car
• Flower and Fruit bearing
• Pollination
• Pest and diseases
• Fertilizing
• Fruit Harvesting
• Jatropha Bio-mass purposes
• Manure purposes
• Other purposes
• Oil expelling and purification process

Oil expelling and purification process

1. Centralized oil productions plants

The cold-pressing process does not require complicated machinery. The characteristics of this process are low energy requirements without any use of chemical extractive agents. These oil extraction machines are in continuous operation and do not require any special supervision. For a large scale located agriculture production >30.000ha. of JCL plantation in one area, we prefer to use centralized production facilities with large volume oil expelling and purification capacity.

Screw Pressing

Seed pressing techniques by means of screw pressers are the mostly used technologies nowadays. Doing so, the seeds are pressed by using a continuous screw press system. When using this technique, there is no need to heat the seeds. Dry seeds can be directly processed in screw pressers. Types of screw pressers, which are commonly used, are single screw pressers and twin-screw pressers. Oil content generated by single screw presser, is about 25-35%, while oil content generated by twin-screw press is about 35-38%. One of the advantages of using a screw presser is the process can be done without interruption, so that production capacity realized is higher. The seeds can be put into the presser continuously and the oil extracted is separated from the oil cake and dregs.

Advantages of using a screw presser:

• • Product capacity is high, because the pressing process can be done continuously.

• • Time efficient, because heating and size-adjusting processes are carried out one time only.

• • Higher oil content. Plantations-, harvest- of Jatropha crops and production of cold pressed Jatropha oilseeds create valuable fertilizer in the form of press cake or pellets. The local agriculture and community economy is also stimulated to be involved in the whole production chain.
  

2. De-centralized production plants

Raw material seeds transport costs are proven to be higher in costs than oil transport as the volume weight of the seeds are higher. Therefore PT Waterland Asia Bio ventures invented the mobile unit high quality oil expeller, which make it possible that the Jatropha oil finally can compete with fossil fuel and other vegetable oil crops like the palm oil, sunflower, soybeans and rapeseeds. Instead of bringing the seeds to a centralized oil expelling installation, the installation will come to local centralized storehouses which have proven to be cheaper looking at the extra transportation costs. The mobile unit is operated by skilled trained workers, to control the quality of the seeds and output of the oil. This mobile oil expelling unit is placed in a 20 feet container operating on cold-pressing technology is simple and the pressing is carried out by small machinery, which require low energy and investments in equipment. Therefore mobile production facilities are for the smaller farmer communities the most economically viable solution.

3. The purification process

The main aims of oil purifying are to extend the storage lifetime before the oil is used. In Jatropha bio diesel making process, the oil needs to be purified to remove polluting compounds, which are present in rough Jatropha oil. The polluting compounds make diesel engines do not run well and even cause damages to the engines. Polluting compounds, which are present in Jatropha oil, are gums (mucus contains of phosphate, protein, residue, carbohydrate, water, and resin), fatty acid and other polluting compounds. For instance, fatty acids, which are present in bio diesel, are causing corrosion and crust at the surface of the injector of the diesel engine. Gums present in Jatropha oil increases bio diesel viscosity. Oil purifying processes, which can be done, are degumming, a fatty acid separating process (neutralization), bleaching and deodorization.

4. The Bio-diesel process

Vegetable oils and animal fats are triglycerides, containing glycerine. The biodiesel process turns the oils and fats into esters, separating out the glycerine. The glycerine sinks to the bottom and the biodiesel floats on top and can be syphoned off. This process is called transesterification, which substitutes alcohol for the glycerine in a chemical reaction.

5. Blending with fossil fuels

The purpose of mixing it or blending it with other fuels is to lower the viscosity to make it thinner so that it floes more freely through the fuel system into the combustion chamber. Higher viscosity is not the only problem with when using vegetable oil as fuel. Vegetable oil has different chemical properties and combustion characteristics compared to the petroleum diesel fuel for which diesel engines and their fuel systems are designed. The modern diesel engines are high-tech machines with very precise fuel requirement. Using a blend of up to 20% vegetable oil of good quality is said to be safe enough to use, especially in the summer time. Otherwise using vegetable oil fuel needs either a profesional SVO solution or biodiesel.(B100).