ROYAL Van Zanten, a Mukono-based flower farm, is to start producing bio-diesel. The $20,000 (about sh35m) plant will be operational in March.
The diesel will be produced using jatropha seeds.
The firm has already started buying seeds at sh150 a kilogramme.
Jatropha carcus is a tree used as a support for the climbing vanilla. Its seeds are crushed using an expeller to obtain oil that is later transformed into diesel.
Bio-diesel is an additive to diesel fuel that is derived from oils and fats of plants like jatropha, sunflower and canola. It is an alternative fuel that can be used in diesel engines and provides power similar to conventional diesel fuel.
“Our production costs for the last year rose by 15% due to loadshedding and high fuel costs. We decided to explore alternate ways of producing energy and also give income to the people in the communities around us,” Bas Van Lankveld, the operations manager, said.
Jatropha seeds are also usable as an alternative to automobile fuels. The seeds contain 35% oil.
“The initiative will provide technological and employment generation. The seeds can be used as a raw material for soap and lubricants,” Lankveld explained.
