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The rural community still lacks access to clean, cost effective and sustainable
form of energy that is needed to power their socio-economic activities,
particularly for agriculture, water supply and food processing. Understanding
that energy has a close link with poverty reduction, economic growth and
sustainable development, a study on the process of modifying plant oil (PO) to
produce a suitable liquid biofuel that can run diesel engines commonly used
in rural areas for various social-economic activities was carried out. The
research was part of works by Policy Innovation System for Clean Energy
Security (PISCES) research project, which was a five-year initiative project
funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).
PISCES, which had partners in Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom
and Tanzania, intended to provide policy makers with information and
approaches that can unlock the potential of bioenergy to improve energy
access and livelihoods in rural communities. The PO used was indigenous
non-edible oil from Jatropha (Jatropha Curcas L.) seeds. Modified Plant Oil
(MPO) presents a potential clean, cost-effective, sustainable and accessible
fuel to meet rural basic energy needs. MPO can also power rural agroprocessing
activities by being used in power tillers, millers, water pumps, etc.,
and become an important key for socio-economic development of rural
population relying on agricultural activities. The use of renewable energy
from PO will contribute to sustainable energy source and to reduce CO2
emission, contributing to reduce climate change problems. |
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