Recent Comments:
UK scientist Roland Clift says biofuels are a scam in the tropics {Autoblog Green}
Jul 5th 2007 2:52PM Sent: Thursday, 5 July, 2007 11:05:35 AM
Subject: Fw: FINAL REMINDER for Next Meeting of the All Party RTF Group and June 2007 Newsletter
Dr. Clive Richardson
Vice President Operations
Enhanced BioFuel Technology (EBT).
100 Pall Mall London. SW1Y 5HP
United Kingdom.
MOBILE +44 (0) 7788518096
email: sp_edz@yahoo.co.uk
www.ebtplc.com
www.jatropha.de
From: clive richardson
To: RTF All Party Group rtfappg@eic-uk.co.uk
Attention:
Danny Stevens
All Party Parliamentary Renewable Transport Fuels Group
45 Weymouth Street
London W1G 8ND
Direct Tel: 020 7935 1786
Fax: 0207 486 3455
You wrote:
"I am pleased to announce that both Lord Oxburgh, Chairman of D1 Oils, and Dr Jeremy Woods, Imperial College London, will be joining Ian Pearson MP, Minister of State for the Environment, to speak at the next meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Renewable Transport Fuels Group on 10 July."
Please take some time to evaluate the below response to the Jv anouncements. I will try to attend the meeting on the 10th; I am currently in Germany.
I have taken some deliberate time to go over the JV document. D1 should skip the tall tail about "elite" seeds. No such magic seed exists and there are scientific as well as practical reasons for why this is so. Rapid germination and planting out extension systems using wild seed will produce harvest values that will out perform any lab developed mutant. Why ? JCL is an ancient plant, highly cross pollinated and exceptionally adaptive to harsh environments. Attention to the physical environment of the plant allows for quality productivity in regions that are experiencing a productive or conducive weather pattern. If the plant is subject to sever drought or lacks nutrient uptake the harvest will fail, just like any other plant harvest, JATROPHA CURCAS SURVIVES DROUGHT CONDITIONS IT DOES NOT PRODUCE BUMPER HARVESTS WHEN SUBJECT TO EXTREME CONDITIONS. While planting in semi-arid or semi dessert conditions has multiple value the plant thrives best when in close contact with mixed cropping activities near or on the boarders of good quality land. Mono cropping is not recommended, beans n bees are the plants best friend.
Alternative Example Proposal:
Using tried and tested agricultural extension practises that deliver fully protected, live "seed derived" plants for extension; at the 6 th week period, following Germination. For a complete cost (Capital and operations) of 5 Million GBP , delivery of 360,000 H/a's of extension material per annum, inclusive of the transport to rural planting destinations, free of charge to peasant farmers, is practical and possible.
This can be achieved simultaneously in several countries at one and the same time and at several locations within certain countries, sites already identified as excellent locations. (i.e for each 5 million invested a process can be established that will deliver 360,000 H/a's of planting material p/a).
Given the distances and diverse locations of the above it may take up to the end of 2008 to establish programs in each selected location. However; this should not be seen as prohibitive. Each location would take no more than three years to deliver 1 million H/a's of extension. By 2012 mature harvest values would be established.
The proposed initial BP expenditure of +30 million GBP could develop no less than 7 rapid agricultural extension zones over an 18 month period while the proposed balance (+40 million) would allow for the continued development of extension services for a three year period. Delivering + 10 Million H/a of JCL agricultural extension by YE 2011/12.
(D1 likely does not have the funds to support the disclosed Jv, BP's executive will be aware of this. In shareholder value terms the Jv delivers nothing to BP while D1's executive capture further funds to fritter away)
A review of the company from 2004 to date illustrates that D1 has burned a substantial amount of shareholder funds without return of substance. In 2004 the essence of this Jv was proposed as the corner stone of activities to investors. The executive actually went for refinery and trading activities. They dumped the product development centre in India in April 2005 expensing consultant services in Holland until attracting a Dutch science officer late in 2006. It is simply not possible to deliver an "elite" seed by July 2007 and in any case what is the value of an elite seed variety ? Jatropha Curcas is a tree/shrub not an annual planting material, the wild variety simply requires improved physical management in order to deliver excellent harvests; in addition the free flow of seeds between countries and continents requires a value adding process before becoming practical. D1's executive have rejected such a value added agricultural extension system, consistantly since early 2005......... The H/a's of Jatropha Curcas plantings mentioned by D1 as held property, leasehold or otherwise are misleading.
NB: Given the declared holdings from 2006 the company would have had to have purchased + 1000 Tonnes of seed (this harvest period ) for crushing or replanting. no such purchases have been made. This is sufficent planting material for 333,000 H/a's of Jatropha Curcas Linn. Cost at farm gate for the seed £120,000 GBP. Fund raising in 2005/6 would suggest that this would not require a Jv of the nature or magnitude disclosed.
The alternative process proposed above would lead to the development of strong internal markets for JCL seed, stimulating additional extension; substantially more than the +1 Million H/a to be sponsored by BP with D1.
Secure access to harvests:
EBT Economic model delivers Jatropha Curcas seed oil as the bi-product of bio-organic processes that are possessed of an independent profit statement, sufficiently healthy to afford the purchase of seed harvest values exclusive of any consideration for the oil content.
Any company/organisation that begins its economic analysis of Jatropha Curcas harvests by leveraging the values of the harvest against prevailing cost of transport fuel is already considering the route to bankruptcy. The absents of a holistic view of the harvest opportunity ensures that simple bio diesel producers cannot engage economically in the processes of harvest purchase. The Jv takes no cognisance of the 66% value of seed harvest that is not oil, !!!?
This boarders on insanity, certainly not a business model to support:
A Better consideration:
From One tonne of seed:
a. 34% Oil
b. 48% Bio Organic Fertilizer
c. 18% Bio Organic Pesticide/Lechate
b & c deliver:
100% organic microbial bio-fertilizer and pesticide called JatroGRO and JatroPRO, which reduce fertilzer costs by 50% on average and usually increase yield about 20% over chemical fertilizers, while producing chemical free food. Some benefits:
* they reduce fertilizer costs by 50% on average-often more for farmers who have been using chemicals for a long time.
* they increase crop productivity by about 20% over chemical fertilizers.
* they improve and regenerate the soil, even removing chemicals left by chemical fertilizers.
* they increase both the major and minor nutrients in the soil, and provide the essential minor nutrients that chemical fertilizers do not provide.
* they activate and accelerate plant growth, blooming, and fruitation.
* they increase the absorption rate of nutrients.
* crops are healthier, weightier and fuller.
* rice crops grown with chemical fertilizer do not compare with rice grown with the bio-fertilizers. The stems are stronger (so the rice plants do not lean over unlike rice grown with chemical fertilizer) , there are more roots, the roots are stronger and longer, the rice heads contain much more grain, the rice seeds don't fall off during harvesting, the soil is softer and has a lot of insect life, there is no problem with the usual rice diseases (white spot, rust, etc.) because the rice plants develop immunity, the quality of the rice is such that the seed becomes in demand as parent stock, etc.
* fruit trees produce more, the fruit is larger, crispier, tastier, sweeter, and the vitamin c level is higher.
* vegetables grow larger.
* tea contains less tannin.
* they immunize against pathogens and make the plant resistant to plant pests. As a result, chemical herbicide and insecticide sprays are not needed.
* fruit and vegetables are free of chemicals at a lower price.
* they alleviate rural poverty by making agriculture more profitable, successful, and by increasing income. They prevent the drift into urban areas by rehabilitating the soil and reviving agriculture where it has failed due to over-use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides.
The chance to eradicate chemical fertilizers from the country with all social, health and environmental problems they cause.
They also become integral components of the JCL agricultural extension system.
Prior to mature harvests establishing one should consider that all seed is prime young material best preserved for agricultural extension. No requirement for crushing. This allows the time required to establish the processing zones in developing economic regions.
10 Million H/a's of decentralised Jatropha Curcas, average harvest yields, will deliver 20 million tonnes of Oil.
Approximately:
21,840,000,000 Billion Litres of Bio Fuel. @ £ 0.09 p/l £ 1. 965 Billion GBP (BP's Target should be to aquire Bio Fuel at no more than the cost of Fossil fuel, shareholders should reject any other option)
28 Million tonnes of Bio Organic Fertilizer. @ £300 GBP p/t £8.4 Billion GBP
16 Million Tonnes of Bio Organic pesticide/lechate. @ £200 GBP p/t £ 3.2 Billion
Cost of seed purchase from mature harvests. 60 Million tonnes @ £ 120 GBP /Tonne 7.2 Billion GBP. (when only considering oil as the major value one cannot afford to purchase seed harvests at values that will stimulate or sustain agricultural activity)
Example of a doable project:
www.ebtplc.com Kilimanjaro/Arusha project consists of 162 H/a of seed bank land of exceptional quality and a mandate to produce 500,000 H/a's of Jatropha Curcas Linn for the region. This is further supported by a presidential mandate for 5,000,000 H/a's nation wide.. Year round water, excellent soil structure and available skilled labour force. Ready to go! Tanzania can support more than five exceptional seed banks in various regions.
The CEO of D1 oils has politely refused the offer of the above. And or regard/access to the below:
Seed bank development and extension work should be promoted in those countries that do not have a high internal consumption demand for fossil diesel but huge requirements for land remediation, anti desertification and soil protection. Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Uganda fit this bill. Hence there will be an ability without restriction to export crude oil surplus while promoting both fuel and food security nationally. Some SE Asian countries have similar profiles.
We at www.ebtplc.com are the founding members of D1 Oils Plc. We moved away in 2005 following the placement of management by brokers who had no clue or support for the primary business model. We have maintained the Product Development Centre in India and extended our knowledge of Jatropha Curcas Linn as well as the technologies that are available to deliver an economic program that attends to the development needs of third world economic regions. We have no need to fabricate or construct complex models for bio diesel processing/ownership of product or retain IP to ourselves exclusively. We are keen to produce a practical holistic view of the Jatropha Curcas Linn agriculture to Industry opportunity with due regard for the long term practicalities involved. While D1 seeks to leverage the value of seed in terms of oil content alone the executive has a blind eye to the "real" profits available (socio-economic benefits of some magnitude for all parties).. They need to look at the import expenses developing countries make for inorganic Fertilizer and pesticides. Returning the nutrient values derived from the 66% of harvest values is a much bigger more important business than Bio Fuel. Highly decentralised planting of Jatropha Curcas Linn ensures that ownership of land remains with rural farming communities. The impact is to ensure that there is an economic level of income flow into rural areas. The D1 model does not promote this. It makes no mention of the development of local markets by agency or the need to process the total harvests for maximisation of benefits. It is a shabby representation based upon false economic principles.
Transestrification to produce Bio Diesel at EU and ASTM standards is not required in developing countries. Emusification processess deliver excellent fuel without refinery costs or waste of energy content. The refeinery technology possessed by D1 is by no means advanced technology, alternatives that maximise the use of oil feedstocks are available at substantially lower costs.
Finally the Jv does not openly stress the potential benefits for access to carbon Credits or collaboration with national government UNFCCC consultants. Quite obvioulsy there is tremenous potential for bio fuel substitution/switching, yet more so for the reduction of fossil based inorganic agricultural inputs that drain national resources.
Kindest Regards
Clive.Richardson
Labour Party Member LOO63456
Dr. Clive Richardson
Vice President Operations
Enhanced BioFuel Technology (EBT).
100 Pall Mall London. SW1Y 5HP
United Kingdom.
MOBILE +44 (0) 7788518096
email: sp_edz@yahoo.co.uk
www.ebtplc.com
www.jatropha.de
From: RTF All Party Group
To: rtfappg@eic-uk.co.uk
Sent: Friday, 29 June, 2007 4:56:17 PM
Subject: FINAL REMINDER for Next Meeting of the All Party RTF Group and June 2007 Newsletter
To: All Members of the All Party Parliamentary Renewable Transport Fuels Group
From: Danny Stevens, All Party RTF Group
Re: FINAL REMINDER for Next Group Meeting and June 2007 Newsletter
Dear Colleague,
I am pleased to announce that both Lord Oxburgh, Chairman of D1 Oils, and Dr Jeremy Woods, Imperial College London, will be joining Ian Pearson MP, Minister of State for the Environment, to speak at the next meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Renewable Transport Fuels Group on 10 July.
The meeting will be focused on the Energy White Paper and the Biomass Strategy and their implications for the production and use of biofuels.
Ian Pearson MP, Minister of State for the Environment, will provide an overview of the Energy White Paper and Biomass Strategy and the Government’s perspective on the implications they will have on the production of biofuels. This will be followed by responses from Lord Oxburgh and Dr Jeremy Woods.
The full details of the meeting are:
Date: 10 July 2007
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Venue: Committee Room 9, House of Commons
If you would like to attend please RSVP to rtfappg@eic-uk.co.uk
Please be advised that space is limited, therefore, if you haven't already done so, I encourage you to book your place as soon as possible.
I am also pleased to attach a copy of the Group’s second Newsletter
The newsletter features contributions from:
Greg Archer, Director of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership
Bob Blizzard MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Renewable Transport Fuels Group
Adam Harrison, Food and Agriculture Policy Officer, WWF Scotland
Matt Ware, London Policy Adviser, National Farmers’ Union
Merlin Hyman, Director of the Environmental Industries Commission
If you have any comments on the newsletter we would be grateful if you could let us know.
I hope to see you on 10 July.
Kind regards,
Danny
Danny Stevens
All Party Parliamentary Renewable Transport Fuels Group
45 Weymouth Street
London W1G 8ND
Direct Tel: 020 7935 1786
Fax: 0207 486 3455
The hydrogen economy's nitty-gritty details explained by the DOE {Autoblog Green}
Nov 17th 2006 5:45AM There is an ample sufficiency of good quality science available illustrating the pluses and minuses of Hydrogen energy. When it is economically feasible the oil, gas and energy companes will deliver the required solutions and develop the complimentary market features to ensure economic viability. While the DOE needs to play a role, facilitating policy and supporting research, it does not need to spend the tax payers money advertising the credentials of Hydrogen or banging the drum on a GHG or alternative energy solutions platform. Other fuels other solutions must take higher priority in the DOE's hand book and research programs. Gronich and his team might get us excited if they were to talk about anti-gravity technology and the development of a transport infrastucture designed (nation wide) to accommodate vehicles (small and large)that could operate without wheels.
