With the growing concern over environmental degradation and depletion of the reserve of fossil fuel, source of alternative

renewable energy is now a burning question. It is more so in Bangladesh which has natural gas as its only significant energy source, which is also supposed to end within a not so distant future. A very effective and efficient answer to this question waits unnoticed in the arid lands: Jatropha curcas. Jatropha curcas is a multipurpose, drought resistant, bio-fuel tree originating from Central and South America, but now growing pantropic. The tree produces seeds containing 27-40% inedible oil, which is easily convertible into bio-diesel. The Jatropha is an incredibly adaptable and versatile plant and so has many advantages. It is propagated by seeds or cuttings and is not browsed by animals making it easy to introduce and maintain. It is well-suited for arid and semi-arid environments where it is often used as erosion control. The many parts of the seeds can be used for a wide variety of applications such as biofuels, soap production, fertilizer, medicinal purposes and insecticide. Our project aims at using Jatropha seeds to produce biodiesel. This biodiesel can be easily used in diesel engine vehicles. It is also a very good source of jet fuel. The jatropha plant is most suitable for marginal lands of the hilly areas, road side, railway side, char area: altogether 4.2 million hectares of land. It requires water equal to around 1200-1500 mm annual rainfall which is well within the average yearly rainfall of Bangladesh: a feature that is not true for all parts of the world. In order to come up with the end product, which is finely refined biodiesel oil from jatropha oil, the proposed business needs to go through all the three stages of production. Since jatropha is not currently being cultivated in Bangladesh, the business needs to cultivate its own jatropha, convert it to finely refined diesel and finally make the product available to the consumers. According to several researches that have been carried out, jatropha can be cultivated in highlands including hilly areas, char land, road sides, railway sides, river bank and forest areas in Bangladesh. The curcus can be cultivated once in every year and is believed to live up to 35 years. The converting industrial plant will preferably be situated near to the plantation as this would lower the

transportation cost. The cultivated jatropha curcus will then be mechanically crushed to jatropha oil (which is almost equivalent to 40% of the total weight of the seeds). Oil cake, the by-product, at this stage of production, can be outsourced to interested businesses. The pressed cake can be processed and used as biomass feedstock to power electricity plants or used as fertilizer since it contains contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Then, the vegetable oil will be converted into biodiesel fuel is called transesterification. Transesterification means taking a triglyceride molecule or a complex fatty acid, neutralizing the free fatty acids, removing the glycerin, and creating an alcohol ester. This is usually accomplished by mixing methanol with sodium hydroxide to make sodium methoxide. This liquid is then mixed into the vegetable oil. After the mixture has settled, Glycerin is left on the bottom and methyl esters, or biodiesel is left on top and is washed and filtered. So, what competitive edge does our product have over imported diesel obtained from crude oil? Firstly, considering that oil price is rising day by day, it has had a disproportionate impact on the poorest countries, independence one day through the development of biofuels has become one of when rather than if, in the developing world. Secondly, rather than importing other countries natural resources, we could be using our own living resources to power our development and enhance our economies. Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, biofuels create new markets for agricultural products and stimulate rural development because biofuels are generated from crops; they hold enormous potential for farmers. Today, most of the farms in Bangladesh are too small to compete in the global market, especially with the playing field tilted against them through trade distorting agricultural subsidies. They are mostly subsistence farmers who, in a good year, produce enough to feed their families, and in a bad year, grow even poorer or starve. But, biofuels have enormous potential to change this situation for the better. At the community level, farmers that produce dedicated energy crops can grow their incomes and grow their own supply of affordable and reliable energy. At the national level, producing more biofuels will generate new industries, new technologies, new jobs and new markets.

Jatropha is an environmental friendly plant in many ways. It helps reduce soil erosion. The biodiesel it produces is eco-friendly as it is more oxygenated, contains less sulphur and reduces carbon emission by 50%. It also prevents deforestation and can work as a natural barricade against disasters like cyclones.