The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Tiruchi News : Jatropha being raised on 50 acres

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 21, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Jatropha being raised on 50 acres

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI, NOV 20. Over 50,000 saplings of Jatropha Curcas have been raised on 50 acres across the Tiruchi railway division during the current financial year to produce oil from the seeds and blend it with diesel for use in locomotives to minimise diesel consumption and save fuel expenditure.

Railway officials said the division had achieved the target within six months of raising jatropha, a drought resistant plant that adapts well with arid and semi-arid conditions.

Maximum saplings have been planted in Villupuram area, officials said and added that a total of 17,620 saplings had been raised there.

In Thanjavur area, over 16,000 saplings have been planted while in Tiruchi and Golden Rock area, the number of saplings raised was around 10,000.

The saplings had been raised in Ariyalur, Lalgudi and Tiruvarur areas also.

Last month, the railway authorities had raised 15,000 saplings at Sundaraperumal Koil area near Kumbakonam in a day with active involvement from National Service Scheme volunteers.

The saplings were brought from the nursery run by the railways at Kumbakonam thereby reducing the cost to the tune of Rs.60,000.

Bio-diesel

From the second year onwards, the oil content in the seeds would be more when compared to the first year.

The seeds would be sent to Perambaur Loco Works where a small crushing and extraction plant had been set up to extract jatropha oil.

The oil would be sent to diesel sheds where 10 per cent of it would be mixed with diesel.

The bio-diesel has been tested successfully in a metre gauge diesel locomotive in Tiruchi a few months ago.

The officials said a metre gauge locomotive has been running with bio-diesel on the Thanjavur-Tiruchi metre gauge section during the last three months.

Besides, a proposal has been forwarded from the Tiruchi division to the Southern Railway headquarters at Chennai seeking approval for raising jatropha plants on 539 acres of railway lands.

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