Keith, Here is the URL of Kokonut Pacific P/L http://www.kokonutpacific.com.au If you read it you will know as much about DME oil as I. Have sent them an email but as yet to receive a reply. Another URL http://www.undp.org.fj/sed/NEWS/news16.htm states the process has been used Samoa, Kiribati and Fiji. But could not find any further references elsewhere.
For a village based appropriate technology process the cost of some $US4500 plus the necessity for electricity seems rather high. Don't know whether they have patented the process or not. Also don't know the fat percentage in copra but maybe someone else in this forum does. Regarding what planet I come from and how many hands there are? Well, perhaps the third rock, and if you cover both eyes with your hands, then you really do need a third one! Need I say what for? Cheers, Hanns -----Original Message----- From: Keith Addison [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, 18 May 2001 1:15 AM To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com Subject: Palm and coconut oil - was RE: [biofuel] Tallow Hello Hanns Thanks very much for this info. >Keith et al, > >One of the problems using palm oil might be its relatively high cost. The >current (very low) FOB price in PNG is about $US240/tonne but it has gone as >high as $US600/tonne in previous years. The cost of production is Indonesia >is about $US127/tonne whilst in PNG it is about $US225/tonne. These are >figures using large scale extraction plants. The small scale figures are >much higher. So the question with palm oil is to get the numbers right. >Hence my leaning towards large scale production. > >On the other hand coconut oil may well be a quite different story. The copra >market has been very depressed for a long time and is likely to remain so. >Also copra produces dirty low quality oil and has to be refined at >considerable energy cost to make it useable. There is however a very small >scale (village based) cold pressed extraction process called DME (Direct >Micro Expelling) that produces an extremely high quality oil with < 0.2% FFA >and about 0.1% moisture and volatile matter. It is very clear and leaves no >residue or staining on a Whatman No. 4 (or equivalent) filter paper. I am >wondering whether this oil could be used direct (without esterification) in >diesel engines. Could you tell us a bit more about DME? Any oils can be used direct, with a dual fuel system so you can start up and shut down on either diesel or biodiesel to prevent coking. In Thailand they're using a mixture of both palm and coconut oil with dinodiesel (different ratios for the two oils), running it straight without a dual fuel system. It sounds like some coking tests with the DME oil would be worthwhile. Message #5220, "Re: Diesel operating on pressed oil", from Dana Linscott on Tue 5/15/2001, described such tests. >On the other hand, Hey Hanns, that gives you three hands!! Which planet are you from? :-) >there are many (presently) unused coconut palms >throughout the Pacific, and perhaps the DME process could be streamlined for >medium to large scale production. This might rejuvenate the village based >and plantation based coconut industry as well as contribute towards the >increased production of non fossil diesel fuel. > >Any thought on this subject? I'm glad you're investigating these issues, it sounds most worthwhile. Please keep us informed. I have more than a general interest in your progress, Journey to Forever will be spending time in areas with palm oil and coconuts where it would have application. Good luck! Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Tokyo http://journeytoforever.org/ >Hanns > >-----Original Message----- >From: Keith Addison [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Thursday, 17 May 2001 1:06 AM >To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com >Subject: RE: [biofuel] Tallow > > > >Thanks Keith, > > > >Only joined this group about 2 weeks ago and there is so much info I'd > >forgotten about Aleks Kac's Foolproof method till you reminded me. Have >just > >copied and printed it & will investigate how it can be applied to palm oil > >on a fairly large scale perhaps. > > > >Hanns > >Hello Hanns > >Good news. Start small! Please let us know your results, there's a >lot of interest in palm oil, I keep getting asked about it. > >Best wishes > >Keith Addison >Journey to Forever >Handmade Projects >Tokyo >http://journeytoforever.org/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
