By
Jim Baer
What began as a practicum project for five graduate students
in the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St.
Louis, may ultimately produce food for the hungry in Africa
sometime in the not-so-distant future.
Jake Schnarre, project manager in the credit group at Emerson
Electric and four other students worked on developing an energy
platform to feed starving Africans.
The project is based upon taking the seed from the plant Jatropha
curcas and powering the Multi-Function Power Unit (MPU) to bring
renewable energy sources to rural communities and villages,
especially for those with populations of less than 200.
Picture a diesel powered engine, fueled by oil extracted from
the seed of the Jatropha plant.
Many villages in Africa are situated very far from electrical
sources. Extending electric grids to rural locations is pretty
much out of the question. Conversely, an MPU, powered by locally
grown Jatropha, creates true energy independence for rural communities.
Schnarre works closely with Don Kloth, a retired executive in
materials acquisition in the Anheuser-Busch agricultural group
on developing the MPU. Their goal was demonstrating this platform
to congress members of the World Agriculture bi-annual forum
in St. Louis in May.
What if someone would steal this idea, establish a patent and
offer it on their own? “That would be wonderful. We would be
more than happy to have that happen,” says an overjoyed Schnarre.
During the practicum, students quickly realized that African
laborers were spending entirely too much time milling corn and
fetching water from streams. A more efficient method needed
development to reduce the overall labor effort.
The study on Jatropha quickly points to the lack of energy access
as an important contributor to the continuing cycle of poverty
especially in rural areas around the world. On the other hand,
Jatropha is a hardy crop that grows in tropical climates such
as Africa, Central and South America. It is not a frost proof
crop.
The present goal is simple—to develop an MPU so a community
or village can mechanize many of the most arduous and time consuming
daily activities, especially those that are generally the responsibilities
of women.
Researchers have proven that Jatropha curcas creates a renewable,
sustainable source of fuel to power these slow speed diesel
engines. The simple platform consists of six to 10 horsepower
diesel engine that drives a variety of labor saving and energy
creating devices, such as a grain mill, generator and oil expeller.
“This really isn’t a new idea. If this doesn’t work, something
else will,” predicts Schnarre.
Kloth, who recently returned from seeing the results of plant
usage in India, is on the advisory board of the World Agricultural
Forum and says dealing with biofuels and water issues are really
crucial these days.
“Dealing with energy sources is critical for everyone’s future.
This is a very interesting plant and we need to work with it
more and fine tune its usage.” Kloth cautions that interested
parties shouldn’t push the development past the research stage.
“Often that’s the case where development gets ahead of research
and that wouldn’t be productive,” he reasons.
“I’m very interested in this plant and really impressed with
its vigor. It is a plant that is toxic to humans and animals,
but yields seeds that can produce oil and energy. Now we need
to see if it can ward off diseases and produce results,” says
Kloth.
The Jatropha plant has several qualities that make it an ideal
choice as a fuel provider for an MPU. It is a hardy perennial
bush that grows well in a variety of marginal soils, and takes
just three to five years to reach full maturity. It has a variety
of non-fuel uses including a hedgerow to protect gardens and
serves as a windbreak reducing soil erosion. Most important,
it has been proven the oil extracted from the seed of the Jatropha
plant can, with no further refinement, fuel the diesel engine
at the heart of the MPU. Additionally, the plant provides oil
yields that are much higher than many of the fuel-oil plants
in common use today, such as soybeans and rapeseed.
The time required for many of these activities can be cut from
two to three hours per day to just a few minutes. Using tools
attached to the MPU such as a generator, the unit can also support
artisan and cottage industries. The electricity can energize
power tools and provide tools and provide light for additional
working hours. The typical installation cost is about $5,200.
Now that would be very steep for third-world countries, but
essential.
That’s where foundations can step in. Angels like a Bill Gates
or a Warren Buffet who favor self-help programs would be essential.
“We hope to get the attention of the WAF,” Schnarre reveals.
“They are the people who bring people together and discuss these
pressing topics. We have to find a way to feed all the people
of the world. The Forum is made up of people who discuss ideas
and issues and take them to the world stage,” he says. “Getting
to present our MPU at the Forum will be the highlight of what
we did during our MBA project,” says the Emerson engineer.
“Feeding the poor in Africa and elsewhere presents no easy solutions.
“We have to look at the whole issue holistically, put components
in place and solve problems,” says Schnarre. He says all issues
are on the table including fuel, water, finance, transportation
and access to education and public health. “For many of these
economies (in Africa) producing a dollar-a-day is a lot. If
we can stretch it to two dollars or even three dollars a day,
their economies could quadruple overnight.”
Next year, Kloth anticipates the possibility of a WAF forum
of sorts in Africa. Obviously, the merits of the Jatropha plant
might be a major issue on the agenda. This hardy tropical plant,
one that guards against animals and provides seed for energy
may help feed the world’s under-nourished someday. That would
be a blessing to Schnarre and Kloth and many others working
on such a timely project.
