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Farmers using coconut oil instead of diesel
11/12/2000 11:20 - (SA)
Bangkok - Thai farmers are using coconut oil, a new alternative fuel source, as a substitute for increasingly expensive diesel, district
officials said on Monday.
In the southern district of Prachuap Khiri Khan, about forty farmers have begun using coconut oil to power their trucks, tractors and
rice-milling machines and have discovered they run as effectively
as diesel, said the Prachuap district chief Vithit Jairanai.
Coconut oil is a viable "alternative for farmers, it allows them to save money as well, and it also benefits coconut growers in the
area," Vithit said.
At current prices, coconut oil is about 4 baht (.09 dollars) per
litre cheaper than diesel, the price of which has spiked upwards this year due to a rise in oil prices on global markets.
"The coconut oil gives engines a smooth movement. It does not cause pollution at all" or create technical problems, Yuthachai
Wiwatkuntorn, one of the Prachuap farmers, told the Nation daily.
Using coconut oil allows some farmers to save as much as 300 baht (6,8 dollars) per day, farmer Noppadol Thongsanit told the Nation.
The Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) has confirmed that the quality of octane in coconut oil is similar to that of diesel.
PTT has reportedly initiated a study, in conjunction with Toyota
Motor Thailand, to examine whether coconut oil could be a viable long-term replacement for diesel.
The PTT-Toyota project is expected to begin in April 2001.
Unlike other Southeast Asian states such as Malaysia and Indonesia, Thailand does not have extensive oil and gas deposits and is
particularly vulnerable to swings in the price of oil on world markets. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA
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