Japan to More Than Double Biodiesel Fuel Production in 4 Years

In a report dated May 30, 2006, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment revealed that it has set a target of increasing domestic production of biodiesel fuel to 10,000 - 15,000 kiloliters per year by fiscal 2010. The current estimated output is 5,000 kiloliters. Focusing on biomass-derived transportation fuels, the ministry studied several types of such fuels and set a goal for promoting each type.

Biodiesel fuel, one of the major eco-friendly substitutes for conventional diesel oil, is produced by esterifying vegetable oil through thermo-chemical conversion. Currently, many local municipalities across the county (a total of 102 as of February 2006), such as Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, are engaged in "Canola Flower Projects," in which people grow oilseed rape on former rice paddy land to produce canola oil. The oil is used for cooking, and the waste oil is collected as a raw material for biodiesel fuel.

In accordance with the national government's master plan adopted in April 2005 to meet Japan's commitment under the Kyoto Protocol, the ministry has been working on measures to achieve the 2010 goal of introducing a total of 500,000 kiloliters (crude oil equivalent) of eco-friendly transportation fuels, including bioethanol and biodiesel fuels. The report notes that, out of the total of 400,000 tons of cooking oil used nationally per year, the 140,000 tons originating from households could be regarded as a major source for the production of biodiesel fuel. At present, however, more than 90 percent of this oil is disposed of in household garbage or discharged as wastewater from kitchen sinks. The report says that more extensive efforts will be needed to collect a sufficient amount of used cooking oil from households.


- Conferences in Japan, Thailand Promote Biomass in Asia (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1297-e

Posted: 2006/08/09 06:03:53 AM
Japanese version