OPIS Foundation

The Foundation proposes to introduce the wide spread cultivation of the Jatropha plant (Jatropha Curcas) to Sierra Leone. Jatropha is a plant whose seed is rich in vegetable oil, very productive once established, able to grow in marginal land, and can be intercropped with food or cash crops such as cocoa, coffee, or cassava.

Mr Benjamin Davies, Minister of Land listens attentively while we update him on the project status

The Foundation has secured an agreement with the government of Sierra Leone (GOSL) to set aside approximately half a million acres (500,000) acres which will be allotted in 100 to 125 acre farms to prospective owner farmers. Each farm will cultivate about 100,000 jatropha plants from the sapling stage to maturity.  During the initial construction period for infrastructure and farm layout, we will establish a nursery which will grow saplings for transplantation from cuttings.   The nursery will continue an ongoing breeding program to maintain the health of the plants germplasm. During the first two years, the foundation will provide assistance to the farm families in the form of housing and support which will become a portion of the farm mortgage which will be paid back out of farm production over a five to seven year period. As the plants become productive, farmers in the initiative will harvest and shell the nuts and dry the seeds to be ready for pickup to be processed.

The Foundation will build vegetable oil refineries and biodiesel complexes capable of processing upwards of 240,000,000 gallons of biodiesel annually. The land for the site of these facilities has also been granted to the Foundation by GOSL.  The clean burning ecologically friendly diesel will more than supply the diesel needs of Sierra Leone and will provide significant export revenue.  Biodiesel is competitive in price with conventional diesel, selling for around $3.00 per gallon.

The main objectives of the BioDiesel program are:

• to provide Sierra Leone with an energy source in the form of BioDiesel,
• to introduce and promote the cultivation of Jatropha in Sierra Leone,
• to establish a network of family farms on 500,000 acres of land on which Jatropha (Jatropha Curcas) as well as cash crops will be cultivated, thereby creating thousands of jobs for Sierra Leoneans.

The Opis Foundation is dedicated to the overall goal of this program which is to accelerate modernization of the country and create employment in the rural areas of the country.

Biofuels are one of the most promising sources of renewable energy and have been increasingly attractive as an investment opportunity. To date, however, business models that have been implemented have led to a host of social, economic and environmental problems.  Ethanol from corn produced in the United States is heavily subsidized.   BioDiesel from soy in Paraguay requires large capital investment and has led to small landholders being displaced. Palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Jatropha plantations in Burma have led to widespread deforestation. Finally, the dependence of Biofuels on crops such as corn and soybeans has contributed to the rise in food prices earlier this year. The technology, at least for BioDiesel, is mature but the economic and business models have not kept pace!   In our proposal for BioDiesel in Sierra Leone, we here at the Foundation feel that we have the business model that can produce BioDiesel without sacrificing wilderness or compete for food crops.

Our first decision has been in the selection of plant to serve as sources for vegetable oil. We will introduce Jatropha which has been introduced into a number of ECOWAS countries, such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, with great success. Jatropha also has great productive potential.  It is conservatively estimated that an acre of Jatropha will produce as much as 400 gallons of crude Jatropha oil per annum.  The plant also can grow in a variety of areas where Oil Palm cannot.  

Opis has requested that the government of Sierra Leone set aside approximately 500,000 acres (208,300+ hectares), either contiguous or non-contiguous to facilitate the program and the establishment of program partner farms.

The land will be made available to program partners who will agree to cultivate Jatropha on the land and provide an agreed upon amount of Jatropha seed to the BioDiesel program each year upon the maturity of the respective plants. The land, initial support prior to production and the farm infrastructure will be recorded as a mortgage for the farmer who will pay it off through production of jatropha oil for the BioDiesel refinery.

The Bio-Diesel plant which Opis proposes to establish will utilize the NExBTL process, the next generation of biodiesel production. Our plans are for a facility that will be able to produce up to 240,000,000 gallons of Bio-diesel which can be used as clean burning fuel for vehicles as well as to generate power.  

II. Program implementation Strategy

1. The Foundation proposes to establish a management agency for BioDiesel production.

   • This center, initially referred to as the Sierra Leone Center for Biofuel Promotion will be broadly modeled after similar centers in such neighboring countries as Nigeria, and will be entrusted with the responsibility of:

     • a. Setting up the initial Jatropha nurseries for the growing of saplings in the initial phases of the farm program
     • b. Setting up an on going breeding program for Jatropha to improve strains and better adapt them to conditions in Sierra Leone.
     • c. Setting up a system of regular monitoring of partnering farms to gather data and monitor progress of Jatropha plants
     • d. Promote Biodiesel and use of straight vegetable oil (SVO).
       
2. The establishment of an application & selection process for prospective partnering farm families: This process will take into account prior farming experience, education level, family size, and creditworthiness.   The Foundation desires to ensure that a diverse geographic and ethnic mix of partnering families is included in the program. 
3. The establishment of a capital fund:  This will be needed to administer the longer term support which will be needed in the initial stages of the project, short term support of a seasonal nature once the project is ongoing.  The support and farm infrastructure will be recorded as mortgages which will be repaid from production, giving the farm families the possibility of farm ownership in the future. 
4. The establishment of a 240,000,000 gallon a year biofuel facility.  An artist's drawing of a Bio-Diesel plant using the NExBTL process is shown below.  

   

1. As noted above, Opis has requested an allotment of 500,000 acres. Approximately 400,000 acres will be committed to the growing of either Jatropha or Oil Palm Jatropha will be grown over 75% or more of this acreage because the plant can be grown over a greater range of conditions.

2. The allotment will divided the land into family farms of approximately 125 acres. Approximately 100 acres will be committed for Oil Palm or Jatropha cultivation along with any cash crop that can be intercropped. The remainder of the farms acreage will be for the families use (e.g. vegetable gardens, orchards, and the keeping of farm animals.)

3. The generally accepted production estimate for Jatropha is 404 gallons of vegetable oil per acre of mature Jatropha per year.

4. With the NExBTL process, one gallon of vegetable oil will be processed into one gallon of Bio-diesel. 

Each farm will consist of 125 square acres, 25 square acres will be for the Homestead lot, which will include a house, garden and/or orchards, livestock, barn and storage. The house will be a substantial enclosure, between 1500-2000 square feet, including four bedrooms, two bathrooms and kitchen. It will include basic indoor plumbing and septic tank. Each house will also be wired with connections to the electric system.

It is projected that the Foundation will set up 4000 farms to produce the vegetable oil required by the refinery.  Jatropha will be grown on the remaining 100 acres (approximately 40 hectares), as well as intercropped cash crops (e.g. coffee, cocoa, cassava) based on the best forecast of possible production.  Individual farms will be grouped in units to facilitate connection to infrastructure such as roads and utilities.  A typical layout is shown on the following page.

Each farm is projected to receive support from the program until the farm is in full production.  It is estimated that it will take two and one half years for the farm to reach full production.  The initial costs to set up the farm and the support provided until full production is reached will be rolled into a mortgage which will be paid off from future production.  At the successful repayment of the mortgage the family farm household will come into full possession of their farm.   It is projected that, depending upon production, some farm families could own their own farm in as little as seven years.

In addition to land, housing, and seed, The Foundation will supply equipment appropriate to a farm of this size: fertilizer, tractors, lister engines etc. Our considerations will not be determined solely by what is necessary for growing Jatropha and Oil Palm but also by any other crops that may be grown on the farm, either intercropped with Jatropha or Palm or in the family lot. These also will be treated as part of the mortgage.

A typical four farm layout is shown below:

In addition to the housing for the farm families discussed above, the Foundation will build infrastructure to support the farms including electrification, water and sewage, road construction necessary for the project and telephone, cable tv and internet connections.  A road network connecting the farms within the project to the processing plant(s) and support facilities such as schools, hospital, and merchandise centers will be built.  The merchandise centers will have available foodstuffs, tools, clothing and all of the other items and services needed by the farm families, including restaurants and entertainment facilities.

The following conservative assumptions for Jatropha will govern our long term expectations of productivity, profitability, and repayment. 

For Jatropha

• Crop density will  be an average of  1000 plants per acre
• Average Yield per tree per harvest will be two pounds of Jatropha seeds by the two and a half year point, increasing to 3.9 pounds per tree per harvest by year six.
• Twenty pounds of Jatropha seeds yields one gallon of  vegetable oil
• Seed metric tonnage and vegetable oil production per acre as been estimated as follows:

   

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
0 tons	0 ton	1 ton	2 tons	2.53 tons	3.9 tons
0 gals	0 gals	110 gals	220 gals	278 gals	429 gals

• Intercropping has been presumed for 30% of  the farm area (again not including the 25 acres of the homestead lot)

An estimate for an individual farm production can be calculated by multiplying the above production amounts by 100.

In the case of the Jatropha nut, "shelling" will be able to be done by the Malian nut sheller.  This device, powered by either hand or pedal power, can shell 110 lbs of nuts an hour.

Malian Nut Sheller

Seeds will in turn be gathered on a regular seasonal basis and transported to the refinery for processing.  The project assumes two harvests per year.

Farmers obligations to the program will be met through production of Jatropha seed or Palm fruit/kernel based on the above estimates. A 100 acre farm of mature palm, would be expected to supply 800 metric tons of palm fruit or palm kernel. A 100 acre farm of mature jatropha would be expected to supply 390 metric tons of Jatropha seeds. Any production above this amount will be purchased by the program with the individual farm receiving compensation for all production.  Some production beyond the any established quota amounts could be used by the farm families for vegetable oil or the making of soap or other products for their own use.  Straight vegetable oil (SVO) produced by a hand press can be used to run a Lister engine to power small generators and other machinery.

Any decisions as to what to plant for the cash crop, provided that it is a crop compatible with Jatropha, as well as the usage of the homestead acreage will be the householders discretion and responsibility.

Genset powered by Vidhata Lister type Slow speed engine manufactured at the Basant Agra plant in India

Regular collections of Jatropha seed and Oil Palm fruit and kernel will be made.  These collections will be taken to the central refining facility to begin the process of making Bio-diesel. The seeds and fruit will be stored in dry storage bins until it can be processed.

The next step is that of oil extraction. The Foundation proposes to build a continuous process vegetable oil refinery capable of processing up to 240,000,000 per year (as per our above estimates. The technology is well established with established health, safety and environmental standards. The plant will be specially designed for Jatropha feedstocks and will allow us the capability to produce soap from by products, as well as NPK fertilizer and animal feed from press cake. However, the bulk will go to the planned biodiesel plant

Example of a 1000 ton per day vegetable oil refining unit in Thailand manufactured by Desmet Ballestra

The proposed Bio-diesel plant will operate according to The NExBTL Process.

Chemically, The NExBTL process entails direct catalytic hydrogenation of plant oil, which is triglyceride, into the corresponding alkane. The glycerol chain of the triglyceride is hydrogenated to the corresponding C3 alkane, propane - there is no glycerol sidestream. This process removes oxygen from the oil; the diesel is not an oxygenate like traditional transesteried biodiesel. Unlike the yellow transesterified biodiesel, the product is a clear and colorless paraffin, with a good cetane number (85 to 99) and better properties than even conventional diesel. As it is chemically identical to ideal conventional diesel, it requires no modification or special precautions for the engine.

Opis Foundation's Biodiesel Initiative has the job creation potential of upwards of 100,000 including participating farmers, hired help, the refinery and the biodiesel plant. The biodiesel produced would more than satisfy Sierra Leone's present diesel needs, but would find ready markets in neighboring countries or as a fuel source for electrical generation.

The Jatropha cultivation program will be given access to farm and home ownership to tens of thousands of Sierra Leoneans, who will be able to grow food stuffs and cash crops such as coffee, cocoa, and cassava. Plus Jatropha can be used to combat erosion and reclaim marginal land. Taken together, the Opis Foundation will bring opportunity to one of the world's poorest countries access to 21^st century renewable energy technology.

Job creation, rural development, and renewable energy-all done in an environmentally responsible fashion; all are hallmarks of the Opis Foundation approach.