Varsity develops equipment for producing biodiesel - The University of Benin through its National Centre for Energy and Environment (NCEE) has developed an equipment for the production of biodiesel. The Director of NCEE, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, made the disclosure in an interview on Monday in Benin.  Ezemonye said the prototype equipment had the capacity to produce 100 litres of diesel from a local plant called (Jatropha).

He said "we already through our research and as part of our 2010 capital projects, produced 12 units of bio-diesel pressing equipment".

The professor said the NCEE, a research arm of the Energy Commission of Nigeria,"is one of the six energy research centres spread across the six geo-political zones of the country.

"As a centre shouldered with the responsibility to carry out research on renewable energy, we now can extract diesel and ethanol from the jatropha plant using our bio-diesel pressing equipment".

According to him, the development was part of the centres's mandate to produce bio-diesel and bio-gas from renewable energy sources which were both human and environmental friendly.

He said these "discoveries are human and environment friendly and different from the use of fossil fuels hazardous to both human and the environment.

"Every fossil fuel production has its environmental consequences through gas flaring which is injurious to both man, animal and the environment.

"There are two types of flaring which are vertical and horizontal flaring and horizontal flaring is the most dangerous because of its closeness to habitats."

"We have also started producing ethanol from pineapple peelings and bio-gas from wastes such as cattle dung and poultry droppings," he added.

Ezemonye further said: "What we now require is partnership from investors so that we can mass produce for industrial use".

According to the professor, the centre is at present helping to train farmers on the techniques to cultivate jatropha plants in large scale is prepared to buy their products to boost bio-diesel production.

Daily Champion/20/09/2011