Nypa palm
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Nypa fruticans - known as the Attap Palm (Singapore), Nipa Palm (Philippines), and Mangrove Palm or Nipah palm (Malaysia) - grows in brackish water, and is the only palm considered to be a mangrove. Nypa palms produce large quantities of a sugar-rich sap that can be used for ethanol production. Nypa palm has been reported to have ethanol yields ranging from 6480[1] to 20,000 liters/ha, which makes it several times more productive then the sugarcane. Nypa palms can be tapped after they are 5 years old[2] and continue to produce until they are about 50.
Contents |
History
Sustainability
Environmental Sustainability
- Nypa palms have several qualities that make them potentially sustainable.
- They are perennials that can be tapped year round.
- Tapping potentially produces less waste then fruit production, such as with oil palms.
- Large stands appear in the wild[3], meaning that it is possible to utilize wild growth rather then develop commercial plantations.
- However, the impact of large-scale tapping on ecosystems has not been determined.
- Nypa palms are an invasive species in Nigeria and elsewhere, that are threatening native mangrove populations.[4]
Greenhouse Gases
Biodiversity
Pollution
Land Degradation
Social Sustainability
(Look here in the future for information on employment, job creation, adverse effects on indigenous peoples, gender issues, etc.)
Technology/Science
Properties
Technology
Economics/Policy
- The Malaysian state of Perak has leased over 10,000 hectares of land with wild Nypa palm to Pioneer Bio Industries Corp Sdn Bhd to tap to produce ethanol. This is the first such project in the world.[5]
- The state expects $92.2 million in annual income from the lease.[6]
- The company has also been given permission to convert 1000 ha of coconut palm plantations to Nypa palm.[6]
Academic Papers
- Overall view on the tradition of tapping palm trees and prospects for animal production by Dalibard, Christophe International Relations Service, Ministry of Agriculture, France, 1999. This paper examines the traditions and potential of tapping palm trees, including Nypa palm, for sugar production, primarily with a view towards using palm sugar as a feedstock for use in producing ethanol.
News (See also News and country pages)
- Malaysian company claims 6.48 billion liter ethanol output from Nypa palm in 2009, 10 April 2007 from Greencarcongress.com. A Malaysian company claims that it will be able to produce 6.48 billion liters (1.7 billion gallons) of ethanol from nypa palm sap when its refinery opens in 2009. The company has obtained rights to harvest the sap from 10,000 hectares of palms. Nypa palm has a very high yield of sugar-rich sap, which some studies claim may be able to produce 2-3 times more ethanol/acre then sugarcane.
- Malaysian company to invest 1.4 billion ringgit in ethanol from nypa palm 5 January 2007 from The Star Online. Malaysian companyPioneer Bio Industries Corp Sdn Bhd will invest no less than 1.4 billion ringgit (€304/US398 million) to set up the first refinery plant to produce nypa ethanol on a large scale.
- Malaysian Company to Produce Ethanol from Nypa Palm 5 December 2006 from Biopact. "A Kuala Lumpur-based company, in coordination with local authorities and the state government, is going to utilize nipah as a feedstock for commercial ethanol production in Perak, Malaysia. A world's first. Nipah has a much higher yield per hectare than corn, sugar beets or sugarcane."
- Mysterious Tropical Ethanol Super Crop 14 June 2006 from Biopact. There is one underutilized and mysterious species of tropical palm, which holds a lot of promise when it comes to ethanol production in the tropics and which is seldom or never mentioned in the literature. Nypa palm produces a vast amount, up to 20 tons of sugar per hectare, of a sugar rich sap, that can be tapped and is traditionally used to brew alcohol. "Since the sugar-rich sap is easily fermentable, up to 90 barrels or 14300 litres of ethanol can be obtained (1530 gallons/acre); compared with sugar cane, this is up to two times more (and compared with corn at 250 gallons/acre, it's roughly 6 times more)."
- Nypa palm: ethanol super-crop? 15 June 2006 from Biofuelreview.com. "Early studies indicate that the the Nypa palm (Nypa Fruticans), is an energy powerhouse capable of producing 20 tonnes of sugar per hectare (8 metric tonnes per acre), or 14300 litres of ethanol per hectare (1530 gallons per acre). This is twice the yield of sugar cane."
Relevant countries
- Malaysia - Currently has the only commercial Nypa ethanol program in the world.
- Indonesia
- Nigeria - Nypa is an invasive species that has taken over thousands of hectares of native mangrove swamp.
External Resources
References
- ↑ http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/04/malaysian_compa.html
- ↑ http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/palm_nipah.htm
- ↑ http://144.16.65.194/hpg/envis/paldoc1010.html
- ↑ http://biopact.com/2007/03/nypa-ethanol-in-niger-delta.html
- ↑ http://biopact.com/2006/12/malaysian-company-to-produce-ethanol.html
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://biopact.com/2007/01/nipah-ethanol-project-receives-major.html
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