Initially tagged as the Nueva Vizcaya Biodiesel Mega Farm, the project will convert the 5,400 hectares of idle land under the Belance Reservation in Dupax del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya into what would soon be the first large-scale producer of biodiesel from the non-edible shrub jatropha curcas.
The project is a joint venture of the Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU) and the technology company Green Eight Industries, maker of oil extracting machines and pioneer in biodiesel production in the country.
NVSU President Dr. Marilou Gilo-Abon said the project was "serendipitous" for the university and Green Eight whose meeting happened only by accident.
"Green Eight was just staying in our hostel on their way to an event in Region 2 when we happened to talk about their Mega Farm concept. I immediately saw the opportunity to mention our Belance reservation. It’s been the dream of the university to put this enormous natural resource to productive use. Finally we’re doing it," she said
The Biodiesel Mega Farm concept is a large-scale (from 5,000 to 10,000 hectares) fully-integrated jatropha farm, complete with its own processing facilities with a highly efficient oil extracting plant, a pre-treatment plant, biodiesel and glycerine refining plant and waste conversion systems.
According to Fred Cabillo Po, Green Eight’s technical chief, the Mega Farm is the only sustainable model for jatropha cultivation because it offers the possibility of producing biodiesel at competitive prices.
"With this concept, you can realize profits in about two years," he said. "And you make use of everything, including your waste materials. It’s truly a sustainable way of producing a clean, biodegradable fuel."
The shrub jatropha curcas, called locally as "tuba-tuba" or "tubang bakod", is an endemic plant in the Philippines that grows abundantly in the countryside. Non-edible yet medicinal when used as topical remedy for sprains, jatropha curcas was discovered to be rich in oil that can be used as substitute for diesel fuel.
Antonio Castillo, Green Eight president and CEO, said it would take about two years before the Belance reservation can produce its first liter of biodiesel. He is looking at a several hundred million to turn the land into a mega farm which stands to immediately benefit some 1,500 families.
And he believes the future benefit will be enormous considering the growing appetite of the world market for alternative fuel, especially biodiesel.
"Demand for biodiesel is growing rapidly not only in the Philippines but worldwide," he said. "With the high cost of petroleum diesel, growing our own fuel requirements and, hopefully, being able to export fuel later on can liberate the country from many of its economic problems."
Castillo is very hopeful that with the imminent signing of the Biofuels Law, more and more land owners will go into jatropha cultivation and he is looking at these growers as partners in the emerging Philippine biodiesel industry.