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Biodiesel 0809

Page history last edited by ecop 14 years, 10 months ago
coco- boidiesel

 

  By: Micah Gingerich

 

 


 

Biodiesel

 

 

Biodiesel was invented in Belgium by G. Chavanne; it was originally made from vegetable oil. But in the Philippines it is usually made with coconut oil. Even though it would be cheaper and a cleaner burn, not many Philippine people use it.  Although 1 gas company in the Philippines does make a biodiesel blend of fuel. They are not allowed by the government to sell it cheaper than regular diesel.  I believe this is because the government is being pressured by the larger gas companies that don’t sell biodiesel.

 

 

            How much cheaper is it to make biodiesel rather than buying diesel?  Does it work just as well as diesel? Why don’t more Philippine people use it? Would it give more jobs to Philippine people, or would it take them away? How long does it take to make a batch of biodiesel? What are all the ingredients to make biodiesel? Are all the ingredients produced in the Philippines? Why doesn’t the government like the sale of cheap fuel?  What type of oil is the best to make the biodiesel with?

 

 

            The purpose of this project will be to research the creation of biodiesel. And also to see the cheapest way to make biodiesel in the Philippines. I will look up the easiest way to make biodiesel and the try to make a small portion. Because the biodiesel dose not work right away in a car I will most likely not tested by its self. You can’t just put pure biodiesel into a car right away. You must slowly let the car get used to the biodiesel; this is done by mixing more and more biodiesel into the regular fuel. Like right now our family buys a biodiesel blend from the Fling V. Of course biodiesel doesn’t work on all cars only diesels.

 

 

            I hope that I will be able to prove the effectiveness and the cost of biodiesel is better or just as good as most fuels. The reason why I choose this subject was because I noticed the problems in the Philippines and world wide of the lack of fuel. I hope that it will help poor people to be able to afford a cheap and clean burning fuel. 

 

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Biology

 

Common Names and Synonyms

 

 

The coconut tree also known as the Cocos nucifera has very many different names. It is called a different name in different countries. Some of these names are coco, coco palm, cocoa palm, coconut, and coconut palm. The Tagalog name for the coconut tree is the niyog. In the Philippines one of the names is “the tree of life.” It is called this because all of its parts can be used for different things; one of these uses is to make biodiesel. 

 

 

Classification

 

Kingdom                               Plantae (plant)

 

Division                                 Magnoliophyta (Angiospermae)

 

Class                                                 Liliopsida (Monocotyledones)

 

Order                                     Arecales (palm)

 

Family                                    Areacaeae (palm tree)

 

Genus                                    Cocos (coconut palm)

 

Species                                 nucifera (producing nuts)

 

 

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Morphology and Physical Description

 

There are many types of coconut trees in the Philippines all of which can be used to make biodiesel. The tallest type can grow between 70 to 100 feet, and the shortest grows from 15 to 20 feet. The coconut itself isn’t actually a nut, it is a fruit. It has a hard shell with juice and a jelly substance in the center, and one tree can have up to 50 coconuts. The roots are very close together, and the tree goes straight up with no branches at all until the top. At the top there are a few long leaves with smaller ones branching out. The top is also were the coconuts are grown. The tree looks sort of like a long mushroom or an umbrella at a distance.  

                The trunk of the tree is composed of very good quality wood which is good for making houses or other structures. The leaves are large which makes them a good material for a roof. The roots of the tree are very sturdy making them a protection to the people from tsunamis and typhoons. The nuts can obviously be used for food, but that isn’t the only use for the nut. The husk which is soft can be used for insulation, and the shell, is hard and is a sphere. It can be used as a bowl or other utensils. Lastly the oil in the nut can be used for making biodiesel. "Unlike with many biofuels, coconut oil doesn’t need to be transistorized - mixed with sodium hydroxide and alcohol to change its chemical composition - to run in a diesel engine. Filtered and warmed to temperatures about 25C, coconut oil is a better than satisfactory substitute for "mineral diesel" - it burns more slowly, which produces more even pressure on engine pistons, reducing engine wear, and lubricates the engine more effectively."

      (http://www.biodieselblog.com/2005/09/coconut-oil.shtml)

 

 

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Reproduction

 

 

The way a coconut tree reproduces is with a seed. The seed is called a seed nut because it looks like a regular coconut; accept it is brown and a bit smaller than the regular coconut. The seed nut also weighs a lot less than a regular coconut; this is because there is no liquid in the center. If the seed nut is buried in the ground then the future coconut tree will start to crow out of one of the micropyles or “eyes.” These nuts can travel very far away from the coconut tree that made them. They can travel by humans or by water. A seed nut can stay in the water till up to 120 days before it must be planted. The seeds are constantly produced by the female flowers, and these flowers are polygamomonoecious, with both the male and the female flowers on tree. Most coconut trees are cross –pollinated, the only trees that don’t are the dwarf varieties. the pollination is done by different animals like a bee. The coconut tree starts to produce nuts when it is 6-7 years old, and stops at around 90 years old. So it takes a lot of time for the seed to become a reproducing tree.     

 

 

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Environmental Factors

 

 

The coconut tree grows best in a warm and humid climate, this is like the Philippines. It can grow in temperatures any were from 32-99 Fahrenheit. The coconut tree is very adaptable when it comes to what soil it grows in. Coconut trees can grow in sand and even clay as long as the clay has free drainage.  The only thing that really affects the growth of the coconut tree is the amount of rain.  The coconut tree doesn’t survive well during a drought. The tree is pollinated by the wind and other animals like bees.

 

     There are diseases that threaten the coconut tree. One is known as the “coconut heart rot disease.” This disease is caused by the fungus phytophthora katsurae. The disease has killed 15% of the Hawaiian coconut trees, but is uncommon in the Philippines. The other which isn’t really a disease but is more a predator is the coconut rhinoceros beetle. They dig through the tree and eat the sap near the center of the tree.

 

 

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Origin and Distribution

 

The original habitat of the coconut tree is in Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines), but because the seed nut can be in the water for 120 days. The coconut tree quickly spread out all around the world.  

 

 

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Importance to People

 

As I have mentioned before every part of the coconut tree is important to the native people. Here are some of the uses of the plant. Coconut milk used to make Coconut Oil. Coconut meat is used for baked goods or candies. The dried meat (copra) is used for making soap, cooking fat, margarine, cosmetics, lubricants, and many other products. The coconut juice is a nutritious refreshing drink. Fiber from the coconut husk is used for mats, brushes, cordage and packaging material for plants. The shell is used for ladles and cups. The leaves of the tree are used to thatch roofs and to make hats, baskets, and fans. The trunk is used to make canoes, posts, rafters, and fences. The ribs of the leaves are used for spears, arrows, and torches. This is why it is called the tree of life, because every part can be used.Here is a chart of all the nutritional value of the coconut.   

              The meat         coconut water

Vitamin A        0.8                             0

Thiamin, B1   <1                              0

Riboflavin, B2 <1                             0

Niacin             <1                               0

Vitamin C        0-7                            5.3

Calcium           5.4                            3.0

Phosphorus    23.9                          2.5

Iron                   36                              3.0

Sodium            0.4                             2.4

Potassium      16.4                           5.3

 (http://www.uga.edu/fruit/coconut.html)

 

 

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Survivability and Endangered Status

 

Because of the coconut trees versatility there isn’t that much that threatens its growth, except for the disease. But the thing that threatens it the most is us humans. Because the coconut tree has good wood and there are lots of trees sometimes people will cut them down but not bother to replant them.  So as long as the coconut trees are replanted when cut down, there should be a huge amount of resources to make biodiesel with. Especially here in the Philippines because there are over 170 million coconut trees in this country, which is the most for one country.

 

 

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Potential Solutions

 

 

The problem with fuel, around the world is a very real. Fuel affects so many people’s livelihood. If the price of fuel goes up, everyone in the world is affected. That is why biodiesel is so important. It is very cheap and somewhat easy to manufacture, especially in the Philippines. The problem is that not many people have ever heard of biodiesel. If there was a way to show the effects and cost to people, they might start to use it because it is so cheap. Below I have thought of three possibilities that would help spread the word about biodiesel, each have their own advantages and disadvantages. The third one that is highlighted is the one that I chose to do to spread awareness of biodiesel. 

 

Possibility 1 - mass production

 

 

The first thing I thought about doing was to produce a large amount of biodiesel, and give it to jeep drivers. What better than to let the jeep drives see the effect of biodiesel for themselves? I would produce the biodiesel in large drums that my father had made a year ago for the creation of biodiesel. The next step would be to give the biodiesel to jeep drivers so they could test it out.

Advantages:

1. The jeep drivers could see firsthand the efficiency of biodiesel. Once they realized how cheap and effective it is they would want to use some.

2. It would save the jeep drives some money the day they used the biodiesel, because I would be giving it to them for free.

 3. The biodiesel would burn cleaner than regular diesel. This would limit the pollution of the jeeps but it wouldn’t be enough to really make a difference in Manila.  

Disadvantages:

1. Even if the jeep drivers saw the difference between diesel and biodiesel, they would not know how to make their own and it would be hard for them to find a gas station that sold biodiesel at a good price.

2. It would be very costly to produce this amount of biodiesel, because of the price of different chemicals that are used to create biodiesel.

 

 

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Possibility 2 - educate students

 

 

My second idea I got from looking at another persons project. I saw that they went to a small school and taught the children there a lesson and a song. I thought it would be a good idea to teach the students the effectiveness of biodiesel at a young age. In the subdivision I live in there is a small elementary school, I play basketball with a 4th grade teacher at that school.  I could teach his class for 20 minutes, and then give the kids some snacks.

  Advantages:

1. If I taught the kids about biodiesel then they would be aware of it their whole lives, and possibly when they are older they would buy a diesel car.

2. 4th graders like to brag about what they know. So if I taught the students maybe they would also tell their parents.

3. When I talked to the teacher about this he said that his class would most likely enjoy a white person teaching them. So not only would it teach them a lesson but they would also enjoy it  

Disadvantages:

1. The only reason why I didn’t do this one is because of the time. Philippine schools don’t start till another 4 weeks so it would be impossible for me to teach because the project would be done by then.

 

 

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Possibility 3 - door to door

 

There are 6 families in my subdivision whose sons or father I know throw basketball. My idea was to go and talk to these six families and tell them about biodiesel. What would be better than to talk to someone who you know trusts you. They would most likely listen to me because I have known some of them for almost 4 years. I would talk to them about the inexpensiveness of biodiesel and how efficient it is.

So one afternoon I started out. At each of the houses I would read my introduction page of my project, and some of the biology page. They were all very polite and all listened very intently; in fact they were all most too polite. I decided at the end of the forth house that I would go home because it had been an hour and a half; I had talked to at least 20 Philipinoes and had three iced teas and one glass of water. The families seemed to be very receptive, but I’m not sure if some of the small children understood.

Advantages:

1. Because I know the people I was talking so they would most likely listen. This way I would not just be talking unheard.

2. I wouldn’t have to travel some far distance I would just walk next door and not have to drive for half an hour.

Disadvantages:

1. I wouldn’t be interacting with any one new that I could possibility get to know, and become friends with.

2. The people I talked with may had just been being polite because I was there friend but maybe they were not actually listening.

 

 

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Bibliography

 

 

Bogat, Zach. "Coconut tree." Agroforestry Net -- Agroforestry Information Resources. 17 Sept. 2007. 07 May 2009 <http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Cocos-coconut.pdf>.

 

 

Bynum, Edd. "Coco-nucifera." National Biodiesel Board - www.biodiesel.org - www.nbb.org. 28 Dec. 2006. 07 May 2009 <http://www.biodiesel.org/>.

 

 

Gatapia, James. "Coconut - WikiPilipinas: The Hip 'n Free Philippine Encyclopedia." Main Page - WikiPilipinas: The Hip 'n Free Philippine Encyclopedia. 9 Mar. 2008. 07 May 2009 <http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Coconut>.

 

 

Kaman, Andrew. "Types of Biodiesel." Biodiesel Information: Offering Biodiesel Processors, plans and advice. 4 June 2007. 07 May 2009 <http://www.biofuelprocessor.com/types-of-biodiesel/>.

 

 

Melan, Richard. "BIodiesel." Brisbane Biodiesel. 13 Mar. 2007. 07 May 2009 <http://www.brisbanebiodiesel.com/terminology.php>.

 

 

Swift, Chriss. "Biodiesel." DOE Portal. 26 Nov. 2008. 07 May 2009 <http://www.doe.gov.ph/AF/Biodiesel.htm>.

 

 

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