Daimler tests Jatropha B100; comparable mileage, engine impact; aims to produce biodiesel at $1.57 per gallon

In Germany, Daimler said that has successfully tested B100 jatropha biodiesel in 3500 mile trail runs across the country using a Mercedes-Benz C Class C 220 CDI. The trial runs met European emission requirements and achieved comparable mileage to conventional diesel fuel Daimler also said that it was testing the production of jatropha at two nurseries in India, totaling 30 hectares, and that it projected that it would be able top produce jatropha at $1.57 per gallon. The company said it would take two to five years to maximize yield with a varietal whose seeds contained 60 percent oil, and that jatropha would provide yields for up to 30 years.

Daimler background

Earlier this year, Daimler, Archer Daniels Midland, and Bayer CropScience announced a project to develop production and quality standards for Jatropha-based biodiesel.

Bayer CropScience intends to develop herbicides, insecticides and fungicides for Jatropha cultivators, while ADM’s interest results from its biodiesel production operations. Daimler is exploring the potential of jatropha biodiesel as an automotive fuel

Last October, Volkswagen and Daimler acquired a minority shareholding in Choren Industries, a biofuels producer with a goal of producing 60 Mgy of BTL (biomass-to-liquid) second generation biomass-based synthetic fuel.

Choren is currently building a beta plant in Freiberg site that will produce 4 Mgy. The company’s target is 10-15 plants constructed by 2020 to reduce C02e emissions by 3 million metric tons.

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