Mullings Suggests Castor Oil Plant as Fuel Alternative

Opposition Spokesman on Energy, Clive Mullings, has said that the castor oil plant is a great source of wealth and should be explored as a fuel alternative.
Making his contribution to the 2007/08 Budget Debate in the House on (April 18), he suggested that a bio-refinery be established to harness this energy source. Outlining some of the characteristics of the plant, he explained that, “it does not compete with food crops; it can be grown on marginal lands; it does not compete with food grade oils and its toxicity is sensed by animals. It has a very high oil content of approximately 50 per cent.it is high yielding, as much as 350 to 650 kilograms of oils per hectare with no maintenance.”
He further noted that it was an uncomplicated crop that requires moderate rainfall. “One of the things with the castor oil plant is that it absorbs carbon dioxide, and there lies the possibility of its funding. Because it absorbs carbon dioxide, we are able to get funding under the Kyoto Protocol. We can utilize that to feed this project,” he added.
The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Countries that ratify this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or engage in emissions trading if they maintain or increase emissions of these gases.
The Protocol includes “flexible mechanisms,” which allow developed countries to meet their green house gas emission limitation by purchasing these emission reductions from other countries. These can be bought either from financial exchanges or from projects which reduce emissions in other developed countries, or developing economies.