Call for coconut biodiesel to be embraced in Asia

The Asian Institute of Petroleum Studies (AIPS) has made a plea for oil-fired power plants to look at using coconut methyl ester (CME) in a move to become more environmentally friendly.

A move to coco-biodiesel would also be cost efficient for businesses, the AIPS claims.

‘When blended with industrial diesel oil or industrial fuel oil, also known as bunker, CME makes oil-fired power plants cost-efficient and environment-friendly because harmful emissions are substantially eliminated,’ AIPS executive director Rafael Diaz was quoted as saying at a recent International Electric Research Exchange.

Diaz presented a statistic that South Korean facilities which added a 5% CME blend in diesel experienced improved lubricity by 63%, while citing research by the US Department of Energy that 1 litre of biodiesel reduces 3.5kg of CO² emission on lifecycle basis.