Sunday 17 April 2011

Grow Jatropha: Mechanical Press Extraction of Crude Jatropha Oil & Seedcake

This Video shows an amazing machine extracting the Crude Jatropha Oil from the Jatropha seed. The seedcake comes out in need pellets which can be burnt as fuel or used as fertilizer. If sterilised by heat to remove toxins the Jatropha seedcake can be fed to livestock and fish as food.


The Crude Jatropha Oil (CJO) can then be refined into Jatropha Methly Ester suitable for use as Biodiesel which is a process anyone can do at home. This is the most advanced form of machine I have seen for the extraction of crude jatropha oil from the seedcake produced by the Jatropha Plant.

Growing Jatropha for biofuel in Africa is still very much an emerging market. The level of Jatropha nut press is very, basic and the facilities and knowledge that the local people need to extract the crude jatropha oil from the seed cake and then refine the crude jatropha oil into Jatropha Methyl Ester suitable for sustainable use in 4x4's is not present currently in Africa.


To grow jatropha holistically the by products of growing jatropha for bio diesel, like the jatropha seedcake need to be seen as as important and useful to the local community that is producing the crop and the local community need the education to be able to get the most benefit from growing jatropha so the plant is used holistically.

If the community are growing Jatropha just for biodiesel they should be able to produce the biodiesel from the crude jatropha oil themselves and be able to prepare jatropha seed cake as briquettes to replace wood in fires or even be able to sterilise the jatropha seed cake so that it can be used to feed community fish or livestock projects

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