Malunggay
Does the miracle plant actually have potential as biodiesel?
By: Micah Jordan
Description and Rationale
The Malunggay plant- a high potential prospect for biodiesel
The Malunggay plant is now considered a native Filipino plant that was first introduced here sometime in the prehistoric years. It has many benefits ranging from high calcium content to use in biodiesel.
Is the Malunggay plant better than Jatropha for making biodiesel? How can local farmers get this highly profitable crop? What research is already being done to look into the potential of the Malunggay? Is it really native to the Philippines? What is its interaction to other plants in its environment? How is it used to make biodiesel? What part of the plant is used for biodiesel? Can the leftover parts be used for other purposes? Is the Malunggay plant already being used to make biodiesel and if so how much of the Philippines’ Biodiesel is made from the Malunggay plant?
How much of the plant is already being planted here in the Philippines? In an article of the Philippine Star it was stated that as of April 11, 2008, SECURA International has 30 malunggay plantations covering 300,000 hectares and they are looking for more. Can the farmers who plant the crop gain a significant amount? According to the same Philippine Star article a farmer who plants a hectare of the malunggay can earn around Php200,000 a year. Php105,625 is the minimum yearly wage for a Manila worker based on the daily minimum. That fact could significantly alter the Philippines. Filipino farmers from the province who come to Manila because they think they can get more money there could see that they could make more money and stay in the province. This could help the squatter problem in Manila and help Filipino farmers make more money.
The initial purpose of this project is to research the Malunggay plant as a biodiesel source through interviews of people involved with the plant’s research as well as through the internet. The research will help mold the action plan, where the usefulness of Malunggay plant as a biodiesel source will be tested.
It is hoped that the use of this plant in biodiesel production will improve the livelihood of the farmers who could cash in on this potential product, as well as provide a more ecologically friendly source for the production of biodiesel.
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Biology
Common Names and Synonyms
Moringa oleifera is the scientific name for the plant commonly known as Moringa. However I will be using the Tagalog name, malunggay, in my paper. Other names include murungai (Tamil), mulakkaya (Telugu), and shevaga (Marathi) (Wikipedia: Moringa oleifera).
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots (Usually dicotyledonous flowering plants)
Unranked: Rosids
Order: Brassicales (Mustard plants)
Family: Moringaceae (Horseradish trees)
Genus: Moringa
Species: M. oleifera (Ben oil tree)
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Morphology and Physical Description
(http://www.treesforlife.org/our-work/our-initiatives/moringa/moringa today/topic_images/Tree.jpg/image_preview)
The malunggay can grow to 12 meters in height with a 30cm thick trunk, but is usually cut back down to about one meter so that the pods and leaves are easily picked from the ground. It is slender with drooping branches. Its seeds grow in pods and the immature green pods are called “drumsticks”. The branches and stems are brittle, the leaves are feathery, the bark is some what corky, and the main root is thick. The leaves are “alternate, oddly bi- or tri-pinnate compound, triangular in outline and 20– 70 cm long. Each pinnae has 3–9 pairs of 1–2 cm long ovate leaflets, soft dark green above and whitish below.” http://www.zijapower.com/files/moringa2006.pdf For its chemistry it produces chemicals that all plants produce, for instance simple sugars, but it also has some pretty unique compounds called glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. Glucosinolates can be used in a plant to get substances that act as natural pesticides, among the other uses it has. Isothiocyanates are what give mustard plants there distinct smell that usually is strongest in mustard plants’ oil. The oil that can be derived from the seed of a malunggay can be up to 40% of the seed and is good for making biodiesel because of its high quality.
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Getting Food
The malunggay can grow in a variety of soils, it can even manage in poor soils, but it favors dry sandy soils. It loves the sun and heat, and cannot tolerate freezing conditions and anything else except a light frost. Malunggay can grow up to 12 meters, but it is usually cut to about one meter so that getting the leaves and pods is easier. It only needs to be watered regularly at the most during the first two months, if in a very dry climate and after that only when the plant is obviously suffering. The malunggay love the sun, but the seedlings should be monitored for harmful overexposure to it. The malunggay can tolerate a diversity of soils, but it grows best in soil that is neutral or slightly acidic (pH. 6.3-7.0), and sandy or well drained. 250mm is the minimum rainfall need, and although the maximum rainfall can be over 3000mm, it will rot if the roots get too waterlogged. It loves the sun and heat, but can grow in a light frost or up to 48 degrees Celsius if in the shade. Normally it grows in temperatures from 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. The malunggay are drought resistant trees.
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Reproduction
Malunggay can reproduce both asexually and sexually by cross-pollination. The tree starts to bear pods after six to eight months and by the second year it regularly bears the pods. Malunggay can bear pods for a long time, however its life span is not known.
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Environmental Factors
Even though it is disease and pest resistant, malunggay can still get certain diseases and has a few number of pests. The one major disease it can get is Diplodia root rot in waterlogged conditions. Here in the Philippines there are not many pests, but Cattle, pigs and goats will eat malunggay seedlings, pods and leaves. In India there are a lot more pests that can cause damage to the malunggay plant. Certain types of caterpillars, the budworm Noordia moringae, and Aphis craccibora are pests of the Malunggay plant in India. Termites can also be a problem around the world, including the Philippines. For abiotic factors, Malunggay cannot survive in extreme cold temperatures and it loves the heat.
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Origin and Distribution
The malunggay is thought to be native to the southern foothills of the Himalayas, but is now widely distributed throughout countries like India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It is commonly believed to be first introduced to the Philippines during the prehistoric ages.
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Importance to People
Malunggay is considered to be one of the most beneficial trees in the world. In an interview with Mr. Danilo Manayaga, President of SECURA the company that is trying to make malunggay the Philippines’ main source of biofuel, he showed me the many uses of the plant. The leaves are crushed down and made into food supplements, the leaves are also put in meals as a good source of vitamins and minerals. After the oil is extracted from the seed, the leftover part, called meal, is used to feed animals. These are just a few of the uses of the malunggay. Malunggay is also the source of a lot of herbal lore, there is even one saying that malunggay leaves can prevent 300 diseases! In recent studies, malunggay has shown potential in helping cancer patients but more research is needed for it to be confirmed. Water treatment is another use of malunggay. After the oil is extracted from the seed, the meal can be put into water to purify it. Mr. Manayaga said that there are 13 plantations in the Philippines and while there are no factories to produce biodiesel yet, he also said that once there are enough plantations, production could follow within two to three years.
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Survivability and Endangered Status
The plant is extremely hardy and drought resistant. Mr. Manayaga said that it takes about two months for the plant to be mature enough that the leaves can be taken. It takes 8 months to a year for the seeds to be harvested. He also said that the plantations he helps to start are on the western side of the Philippines because that is the dry side. It is an extremely abundant plant due to its ability to survive without a lot of water and in hot climates. It is not endangered and it is in fact a pioneer plant and is easily adapted to many different ecosystems.
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Potential Solutions
Possibility 1 - Directly giving the malunggay seedlings to the farmers
Danny Manayaga from SECURA told me he has a new plantation in Tarlac and that I could save the farmers some work and give them seedlings instead of seeds and help encourage the farmers to plant malunggay.
Advantages:
1. The farmers will probably be more enthusiastic about planted malunggay if they see seedlings instead of just seeds.
2. I could help SECURA show these farmers the benefits of planting the malunggay.
3. It would make commercial malunggay biodiesel one step closer to being a reality.
Disadvantages:
1. It takes two months from the time the plants first germinate until they can be planted into the ground. I did not plant the plants early enough for the plants to be planted into the ground before the project is due.
2. Tarlac is the closest plantation to Manila , but it is still a 2-3 hour trip. My parents may not have enough time to take me out to Tarlac to give the farmers the malunggay. How can malunggay production be increased so that there can be enough to start commercially using it as biodiesel? There are already 13 plantations in the Philippines, but more are needed. Since the malunggay plant loves the heat and does not like too much water, where are the prospective spots for new plantations? Filipino farmers can make up to 200,000 pesos a year after the first two years with just a hectare of the plant. Also, the nutritional and herbal remedies of the malunggay should excite farmers even more. However, are farmers put off by just getting a few seeds, and would they rather have a plant? Along with giving seedlings to farmers directly, there are 2 other possibilities considered below.
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Possibility 2 - Give SECURA the malunggay seedlings to give to the farmers later
SECURA is working alongside the farmers already. They give the farmers the malunggay seeds and have a contract where the farmers pay off the price of the seeds by selling the leaves and later give seeds back to SECURA.
Advantages:
1. I could give SECURA the seedlings and they could give it to the farmers when the seedlings are ready.
2. It would save the farmers money since I was the one who paid for the seedlings to grow.
Disadvantages:
1. I would not really be doing anything, and would not have contact with the farmers at all. I would only interact with SECURA and not be getting Filipinos interested in planting the malunggay.
2. It would not be following the motto of: “Think globally, act locally.” I would not be acting locally with Filipinos.
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Possibility 3 - Give the malunggay away to Filipinos in a poor community
I decided to give 150 seedlings away to some Filipinos in a poorer area and give SECURA contact information away, along with a brochure about malunggay. I also did a presentation on the benefits of malunggay and told the Filipinos to contact SECURA if they have relatives in the province who are farmers and would want to plant malunggay. The presentation went very well and the Filipinos were very enthusiastic, and my translator was a volunteer from the crowd. There was at least 35-45 people there, and I gave away all the Malunggay and around 35 brochures.
Advantages:
1. I was following the motto of: “Think globally, act locally.”
2. The Filipinos get more nutrition in their diet and SECURA has more potential farmers to work with to plant malunggay.
Disadvantages:
1. It did not directly contribute to developing malunggay as a biodiesel.
2. I do not have complete assurance that the Filipinos will tell their relatives in the province about malunggay and SECURA.
Biblical rational/principles
Mathew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” The fact that I went out and gave away these plants to a poorer community reminds me of this verse. It also reminds me of the parable it is in that talks about how the righteous were generous to those in need, and the unrighteous were not. Now I am not trying to put myself up. All Christians should strive to be righteous and be generous to those in need. It is like each time we give food to the children begging for money, we donate clothes to a squatter’s area, or anything along that line, it is as if we are doing the good deed to Christ Himself.
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Bibliography
"Eudicots -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 05 May 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eudicots>.
Fahey, Jed W. "Moringa oleifera: A Review of the Medical Evidence for Its Nutritional, Therapeutic, and Prophylactic Properties. Part 1." Trees for Life Journal (2005).
"Glucosinolate." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2008. Answers.com 26 Apr. 2009. <http://www.answers.com/topic/glucosinolate>.
Hsu, Rebecca, Sharon Midcap, Arbainsyah, and Lucienne De Witte. MORINGA; OLEIFERAMEDICINAL AND SOCIO?ECONOMIC USES. 2006. National Herbarium Leiden, the Netherlands. <http://www.zijapower.com/files/moringa2006.pdf>.
Manayaga, Danny P. "Interview of Danny Manayaga, President and CEO of SECURA international on malunggay as a biodiesel." Personal interview. 18 Mar. 2009.
"Moringaceae." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 09 Apr. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/392385/Moringaceae>.
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"Moringa oleifera -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 05 May 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera>.
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