The country needs to expand the cultivation of bio-fuel plants in order to produce enough bio-fuel to meet 5 percent of its annual energy needs by 2020 as set out in the bio-fuel development project until 2025, said an industry insider.
Dr Do Huy Dinh, a member of the National Science and Technology Policy Council, said that the country will focus on developing crops that provide bio-fuels such as sugarcane, cassava, sweet kaoliang, and jatropha, to ensure enough materials for bio-fuel plants from 2010 to 2025.
According to Dinh, sugarcane has the potential to produce between 5,000 and 7,000 litres of alcohol per hectare per year. Therefore to produce 0.5 billion litres of alcohol from sugarcane by 2020 for bio-fuels, Vietnam needs to expand its sugarcane-growing areas by 200,000 hectares and grow high-yielding varieties to produce 30 million tonnes of sugarcane a year.
The current sugarcane acreage is around 300,000ha, producing 17 million tonnes a year.
At present, four of the country’s 37 sugar refineries produce 30 million of litres of alcohol a year.
Cassava is the second most important crop and its acreage is expected to expand to 500,000 ha with an annual output of 9-10 million tonnes a year to meet demands. The current area is about 430,000 ha, producing 7-7.5 million tonnes of cassava a year.
Algae with a high carbon hydrate content can be used to produce alcohol and bio-diesel on an industrial scale. The plant can be cultivated in ponds and coastal areas.
Sweet kaoliang grows easily on dry land and has high sugar levels. Farming costs are much lower than sugarcane and its harvesting cycle is around four months. Kaoliang is grown on 45 million hectares around the world.
Jatropha is considered to have a lot of potential for bio-diesel production. A native of south America, it was imported and has been grown in Vietnam for many years.
The plant initially received little attention and was regarded as a weed. It grows on marginal semi-arid and arid land that is prone to erosion if not protected by plants.
It is ecologically suited for the northern and coastal zones. Jatropha has been grown under a pilot programme in Dak Lak, Ninh Thuan, Binh Dinh, Binh Phuoc, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Vinh Phuc and Phu Tho provinces.
In addition to these crops, bio-fuel producers could also use vegetable oils, fish fat, used fat and oil as well as agricultural and industrial by-products to produce green fuel.
The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) is working on three clean energy projects, worth 240 million USD, that will be able to produce 300,000 cu.m of ethanol a year./.
Dr Do Huy Dinh, a member of the National Science and Technology Policy Council, said that the country will focus on developing crops that provide bio-fuels such as sugarcane, cassava, sweet kaoliang, and jatropha, to ensure enough materials for bio-fuel plants from 2010 to 2025.
According to Dinh, sugarcane has the potential to produce between 5,000 and 7,000 litres of alcohol per hectare per year. Therefore to produce 0.5 billion litres of alcohol from sugarcane by 2020 for bio-fuels, Vietnam needs to expand its sugarcane-growing areas by 200,000 hectares and grow high-yielding varieties to produce 30 million tonnes of sugarcane a year.
The current sugarcane acreage is around 300,000ha, producing 17 million tonnes a year.
At present, four of the country’s 37 sugar refineries produce 30 million of litres of alcohol a year.
Cassava is the second most important crop and its acreage is expected to expand to 500,000 ha with an annual output of 9-10 million tonnes a year to meet demands. The current area is about 430,000 ha, producing 7-7.5 million tonnes of cassava a year.
Algae with a high carbon hydrate content can be used to produce alcohol and bio-diesel on an industrial scale. The plant can be cultivated in ponds and coastal areas.
Sweet kaoliang grows easily on dry land and has high sugar levels. Farming costs are much lower than sugarcane and its harvesting cycle is around four months. Kaoliang is grown on 45 million hectares around the world.
Jatropha is considered to have a lot of potential for bio-diesel production. A native of south America, it was imported and has been grown in Vietnam for many years.
The plant initially received little attention and was regarded as a weed. It grows on marginal semi-arid and arid land that is prone to erosion if not protected by plants.
It is ecologically suited for the northern and coastal zones. Jatropha has been grown under a pilot programme in Dak Lak, Ninh Thuan, Binh Dinh, Binh Phuoc, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Vinh Phuc and Phu Tho provinces.
In addition to these crops, bio-fuel producers could also use vegetable oils, fish fat, used fat and oil as well as agricultural and industrial by-products to produce green fuel.
The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) is working on three clean energy projects, worth 240 million USD, that will be able to produce 300,000 cu.m of ethanol a year./.
