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All over the Pacific, power authorities, private companies and entrepreneurs have been experimenting with coconut oil as an alternative to diesel fuel for vehicles, power generators and even ships.
"The idea goes right the way back to Mr (1) Rudolf Diesel. He invented the combustion engine to use peanut oil," says Jerry Kramer, chief executive of Pacific International Inc.
The use of coconut oil received a boost in the last couple of years as oil prices hit record heights and coconut oil fell to around 550 US dollars a ton (tonne) in the volatile world commodity markets.Coconut trees are found everywhere in the Pacific's tropical islands. The dried white flesh, known as copra, from six to 10 coconuts produces a litre of oil, making the substitution for expensive diesel seem a no-brainer.
But ironically the growth in the use of (2) biofuels worldwide has helped push the price of crop oils higher and coconut oil now fetches nearly 1,000 dollars a ton.
In the (3) Marshall Islands, Kramer has been experimenting for several years with trying pure coconut oil in some of his vehicles, as well as heavy machinery and even tug boats and a cargo ship.Some modern diesel engines are less tolerant of pure coconut oil. Another problem is that coconut oil starts to solidify below 25 degrees Celsius (78 Fahrenheit) —but that is not a problem on many tropical islands.
The first thing you notice about a diesel engine running on coconut oil is the smell. "It smells sweet. You can put your nose right up to the exhaust," says Witon Barry, assistant manager of the Tobolar Copra processing plant in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro. ■AFP
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