UTM and Cambridge University to research jatropha biofuels

A team of experts from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and the University of Cambridge in the UK are embarking to research renewable energy and to develop biofuels for use in small machines like lawnmower.

The research project also attempts to discover the most cost effective and low-emission biofuel source for its purposes, such as jatropha or a mixed source.

According to Professor Dr. Mohammad Nazri Mohd Jaafar from UTM, past research experience on palm-based biofuels will help the team study jatropha and other alternative feedstocks.

The researchers will also study the combustion mechanisms of syngases generated from industrial wastes and effluents, and attempt to find a way for the industry to effectively convert wastes into renewable energy.

‘We are going for green in the field of combustion and renewable energy,’ says Prof Dr Ahmad Fauzi Ismail from UTM.