Chapter 1: Introduction

The awareness of the effect emissions have on the environment and climate has risen in the last decades. This has caused strict regulations of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases cause Global Warming which may have devastating environmental effects. Most of the fuels commercially available today are fossil fuels. There are two major effects of using fuels with fossil origin; the source will eventually drain and the usage results in an increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Fuels that are created from a renewable feedstock are often referred to as alternative fuels and under ideal conditions they are Greenhouse gas neutral.

Biodiesel is one of the alternative fuels in the market. It is derived from biomass, which is one of the sources of renewable energy. Jatropha is one of the sources of biodiesel and of all the other sources, it would be best in many tropical and subtropical areas, including India, Africa, and Central America where Jatropha is cultivated primarily for its oil to produce biodiesel. The ever increasing price of petroleum prices have triggered interest on the Tuba-tuba or Jatropha.

Jatropha is a drought resistant perennial shrub or small tree that produces seeds up to 35 years but can live up to 50 years. Jatropha grows fast with little or no maintenance and reaches the average height of about 3 meters but it can grow up to 8 meters.

Tuba-tuba is one of the most promising sources of bio-fuel today. About 27-40% of the Tuba-tuba nut is composed of oil. 3 kilos of Jatropha seeds can produce about 1 liter of crude Jatropha oil that can then be processed into biodiesel fuel. This oil can be easily be processed into fuel that can replace or mixed with petroleum based diesel to save on imported oil and most importantly increase local employment and help the economy to grow.

1.1 OBJECTIVES

This thesis aims to provide the readers with a better understanding of one of the latest innovations in the fuel industry, which is the development of Jatropha oil. It intends to inform people with the current issues regarding the improvements of Jatropha oil in and outside the country. It is also written to promote environmental concerns such as global warming and health issues such as the increasing cases of respiratory diseases worldwide. This paper illustrates the advantageous effects of Jatropha oil in engine performance of diesel vehicles. Finally, it presents the impact of the usage of Jatropha oil in the Philippine economy.