Hawaii fuel project to use local plants

Hawaii fuel project to use local plants

	Published : Fri, 16 Mar 2007 18:37 By : Agencies Print this Story

WAIMANALO, Hawaii (AP) - A new project will look at the possibility of squeezing fuel out of local plants such as avocados, coconuts and kukui nuts.

State and federal officials said the pilot Biodiesel From Fuel Crops in Hawaii Project is part of an effort to develop alternative fuel sources for heavily oil-dependent Hawaii.

Another aspect of the research will be to look at using what is left over from the biodiesel process to feed livestock.

'The ultimate goal is to reduce Hawaii's dependence on imported petroleum fuels and reducing diesel emissions,' said Deborah Jordan, regional director of the federal Environmental Protection Agency's clean-air efforts.

Jordan presented officials at the Oceanic Institute in Waimanalo with a $100,000 check Wednesday. The institute will be partnering with other state and private organizations to complete the research over the next year.

The researchers will be looking at a variety of plant oils, including palm oil, to find out which have the most potential to be converted through existing means into a fuel for diesel vehicles.

Oil from the plants will be tested at Pacific Biodiesel.

The company is currently using just about all of Hawaii's available waste cooking oil to create 1.5 million gallons of biodiesel each year and is eager to find new sources, said Robert King, Pacific Biodiesel's president.

Hawaii could also produce up to 50 tons of feed a day using the byproduct of the biodiesel process, thereby eliminating the need for expensive imported feed, said Warren Dominy, head of the Oceanic Institute's feed research program.

'Feeds are the largest single cost in most animal production facilities. If we can use products grown in Hawaii to produce low-cost feeds, it may substantially reduce costs to the farmer,' said Bruce Anderson, the institute's president.

Other partners in the project include the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, the University of Hawaii-Hilo, Aloha Green and Grace Pacific. Honolulu Clean Cities will be leading the group.