Biofuel investing has seen a sharp rise over the past year, but spiked just since President Obama took office. Obama’s push for green energy investment and growing demand for Green Fuels is seen as the major cause for the increase in investors shifting focus to Biofuels in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica’s national fuel supplier gets serious about Biofuel

Costa Rica’s National fuel company, Recope, is getting serious about the economic and climatic benefits of Biofuel. They are looking at a local seed bearing plant called Jatropha Curcas, or tempate by the locals.

They are investigating this opportunity through Central and North America’s most advance Jatropha plantation, found right here in Costa Rica, the Costa Rica Seed Company.

Costa Rica’s carbon neutral goals have been set for 2020, and the Costa Rican Banana industry recently announced its goal of 2012.

Growing Biofuel is the only way these goals can happen. The plants not only produce cleaner burning fuel, and are renewable and sustainable, but the plants also have a very high carbon absorption rate.

Jatropha has become the plant of choice in the Biofuel industry for several reasons. First, it is not a food crop, so has no impact on global food supplies. Second, it has extremely high oil content, 36-42%. Third, it is a very hardy plant and can be grown on marginal land. Fourth, it can go directly from the processing machine into diesel engines!

United Biofuels of America (UBA)

The UBA consortium consists of agricultural entities, industrial companies, universities, non-profit organizations and governments with the objective of developing Biofuel standards and promoting Biofuel research, development and commercialization. UBA organizes and develops feedstock producers to provide market channels and the highest quality control and standards for the end users.

UBA works towards sustainable, renewable solutions for its members. Setting standards that are both environmental and socially responsible, and building sound Biofuel Farming Practices are primary goals of UBA.

Currently UBA has The 1,000,000 Gallon Challenge to meet US government and regional contracts for Jatropha Crude Oil (JCO). This will require significant plantation development to ensure feedstock to Biofuel capacity for these contracts. This project will require over 800,000 hectares of Jatropha plantation development over the next 5 years.

This represents approximately 2,000,000 gallons per day production when operations are at full capacity.

This Challenge will generate over 45,000 jobs in the region.

Research Center

UBA has already initiated the development of the research center and lab on the Costa Rica Seed Company (CRSC) plantation. When the center is complete, it will house the proprietary pilot system for conversion of JCO to jet fuel; in addition the lab will be used for further Biofuel development and testing.

UBA as a Standards Regulatory platform will provide a testing capabilities to regulate Biofuel quality and technical standards. The UBA label will ensure quality standards that are required by our buying members. Initially this includes JCO for Biodiesel and for conversion standards of JCO to jet fuel, as well as providing full technical specification for member feedstock providers.