Agrasun working with jatropha as sustainable 2nd-generation bio-fuel feedstock
May. 26, 2009
CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Agrasun, a new energy company in the second generation bio-diesel feedstock industry, will grow the feedstock Jatropha curcas in regions in Colombia and Mexico.
In conjunction with Live Systems Technology, a Colombia-based agricultural technology company, Agrasun has conducted scientific research demonstrating the neutral impact of the concentrated growth of Jatropha utilizing totally green land preparation techniques.
Tess Bone, a Notre Dame graduate who helped create a social venture plan that was a finalist in the Eighth Annual Social Venture Plan Competition sponsored by the Gigot Center at Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, said:
"We think Jatropha is going to be the next big thing in bio-diesel. It beats ethanol, sugar cane, and corn in cost and performance. The fuel emits almost no greenhouse gases, and the trees can capture four tons of carbon dioxide per acre. Jatropha takes almost no machinery to harvest, creating thousands of jobs for local people and an alternative crop to narcotics and the illicit drug trade."
Jatropha has been proven to have a high energy content when compared to other agricultural feedstocks, nor does it remove resources from the animal or human food supply. It utilizes a manual work force, which correlates to a low carbon footprint in harvesting and does grow in marginal soils.
The social venture plan developed by Bone and her team is driven by concern for a "triple bottom line," Bone said, "People, Planet, and Profits." To develop the plan, the team traveled to Colombia to meet the company's scientific partners, attend an international microfinance and peacebuilding conference, and develop local contacts among nongovernmental organizations with whom they might collaborate on health, education, sanitation, housing, and other community initiatives.
"In my studies at Notre Dame, we learned to define peace as the conditions for authentic human flourishing," said Bone, who has dual majors in Sociology and Peace Studies. "Through my involvement with the Gigot Center, I started seeing new, nontraditional ways to create sustainable good for people and the environment. Agrasun is a leader and exemplar of such innovative approaches, and its commitment to social and environmental good is why I am glad to be involved with this venture."
SOURCE: Agrasun via Marketwire.
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