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  Channel NewsAsia 1 May 07
S'pore can be centre for bio-energy production in the region: experts
SINGAPORE : Singapore has the right infrastructure to be a centre for bio-energy production in the region.

This is the view of experts who convened at a conference recently.

Seeds from the Jatropha plant - which can be grown in arid land and under harsh conditions - may be the supplier of the future. The oil that can be extracted from the seeds can be processed into bio-diesel, which has an energy content similar to palm oil.

The processing of bio-diesel will be done right here, when a bio-diesel processing plant is set up at Jurong Island. The plant is part of a joint venture between the Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering (IESE) and Van Der Horst Biodiesel. IESE is a centre of environmental research excellence under the Nanyang Technological University.

David Tee Liang, Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering, Singapore, said, "I think Singapore (can) become a very important production centre for bio-diesel worldwide for the reason that Singapore is already a petroleum refinery centre. The whole logistics, the whole system for producing bio-diesel, is completely analogous to petroleum production.

"For instance, we now bring crude (oil) from (all over the world), we do the refinery here in Singapore and then we distribute the products worldwide. For bio-diesel it's exactly the same. We expect production company facilities to bring crude diesel oil to Singapore where we do the refining here and then to do the distribution...so this is why Singapore is quickly becoming one of the world's largest production base for bio-diesel."

Another expert believes that besides bio-diesel, Singapore also can become the centre for processing bio-fuel.

Professor John A Mathews, Director, Research, Macquarie Graduate School of Management ( Australia), said, "Singapore is a centre for finance and has a great port and has big refining capacities. Jurong Island is a major centre for fossil fuels and chemical derivatives of them, so Singapore no doubt sees a future for itself, creating a parallel to Jurong Island as a centre for bio-fuel refining, production, distribution and transport...."

Professor Mathews advocates the use of ethanol as bio-fuel as a method to ensure energy sustainability.

He said ethanol, which can be derived from sugar cane, is the perfect substitute for gasoline and petrol, as it has almost the same energy content. Ethanol also burns more cheaply and does not affect the air quality. As it is not oxygenated and has no sulphur content, it will not cause damage to the the environment if there is an ethanol spill.

According to Professor Mathews, South East Asia has the potential to become a major producer of ethanol because sugar cane can be grown in abundance in the region, especially in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.

Professor Mathews explained why the use of ethanol has been sidelined for a long time, in favour of oil.

He said, "The fossil fuel industry has stopped it from being used. It's not that ethanol is too expensive, but it's that oil is too cheap. And oil is supported by vast industries.

"Tropical countries have a window of opportunities, tropical bio-fuels, but when (the) second generation comes in at about 2 years' time, you have the prospect to produce bio- fuel from plantations, from municipal wastes, from sewage...these are the sources of bio -fuels of the future."

Professor Mathews added that one way to promote ethanol is for the World Trade Organisation to remove trade barriers to its sale - for example, by doing away with tariffs.

Currently, the US and Brazil are the world leaders in ethanol production. Whether it is oil from the Jatropha seeds or ethanol from sugar cane, bio-energy is expected to be the next big thing in ensuring sustainable energy in future.

And Singapore has jumped onto the bandwagon, by setting aside some S$350 million over the next five years for green energy production. - CNA/ms
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