Nippon Biofuels supplies jatropha-based biofuel blend for Japanese trial

Japan’s Nippon Biofuels said it has supplied a jatropha-based biofuel blend to a Japanese RoRo vessel for a bunker trial.

IMAGE: The Shinagawa wharf in Tokyo. Getty Images

The trial was launched on 18 March in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Pier on a Ro-Ro vessel operated by Japan’s Kuribayashi Steamship.

The B10 blend comprised 10% jatropha-based straight vegetable oil (SVO) and 90% VLSFO.

Nippon Biofuels said the SVO blend can be used as a drop-in fuel without requiring any engine modifications. Kuribayashi Steamship is testing how the ship engine performs during combustion and the compatibility of its fuel supply system under real conditions.

After the current trial phase, Nippon Biofuels aims to increase its biofuel production capacity and expand supply infrastructure.

Nippon said it is working with shipping and energy companies on potential long-term offtake agreements.

Jatropha is a non-edible, drought-resistant oilseed crop that can grow on marginal land that is not suitable for agriculture.

The company sources the jatropha feedstocks from its plantations in Ghana and through contract-farming operations in Mozambique.

Nippon said it has developed high yield jatropha varieties that, under controlled conditions, can achieve up to 50 times higher productivity compared to wild strains.

By Nachiket Tekawade

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