Veggie biodiesel to power farm machines, cut costs

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga— The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is now in the testing stage of a bio-fuel derived from vegetable oil that will be developed for use in farm machines to cut fuel expenses.

This was confirmed August 23 by the Department of Agriculture , as PhilRice conducts tests and further researches on the efficiency of using the new bio-fuel technology developed by a Filipino scientist in Oregon, USA.

“Farmers can soon cut on fuel expenses,” PhilRice said in a statement it released, describing the new technology in making biodiesel as a lot cheaper since it does not needing any heating ingredients and sophisticated equipment, unlike the biodiesel sold at gasoline stations.

DA said the said technology was developed by Dr. Rico O. Cruz, a Filipino expert on biofuel.
The process is called Cruzesterification, a process of producing biodiesel from used vegetable oils.

“Producing biodiesel using Cruzesterification makes the production of biodiesel as “easy as making coffee, in which the catalyst is the coffee, alcohol as the sugar and oil as the hot water. Blend the three ingredients and you a have a coffee or a biodiesel in minutes,” Cruz said.

Cruz, who uses biodiesel in his own cars abroad, said he discovered the process from more than 20 years of research.

“Farmers can afford the elements needed for production. Potassium hydroxide only costs P80.00/kg; methanol, P80.00/L; and used oil, P400.00 per 17 kg gallon,” he said.

In producing 100 L of biodiesel, Cruz said 100 L of used oil is needed and requires 1.1 kg of potassium hydroxide and 20 L of methanol at a production cost of P38.00/L and production time of 18 hours.

“You see here the advantages of this technology. Fuel costs P45.00/L and its production takes years,” Cruz stressed.

Cruz said biodiesel is also environment-friendly as it does not emit dark and poisonous fumes. -- MAM