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THERE is
no need to panic when it comes to the concern that coco
methyl ester producers would not be able to meet the
country’s biodiesel requirements should a 2 percent or
B2 biodiesel blend be mandated, because there are enough
producers to fill in the demand, Chemrez chief operating
officer Dean A. Lao Jr. told BusinessMirror Monday.
Lao said
in an interview that there are already nine coco methyl
ester producers in the country, and that existing plant
capacities can supply even up to three-percent blend or
B3.
“If all
coconut supply is to be turned into biodiesel, the
country can even obtain a B20 blend,” Lao said.
According to the Department of Energy (DOE), biodiesel
diesel production as of January this year has already
reached 111.30 million liters a year from just three
producers such as Chemrez, Senbel Fine Chemicals, Inc.
and Romtron
Philippines.
Ideally,
according to Lao, a one-percent or B1 blend will require
them to use 60,000 metric tons of coconut oil to produce
around 70 million liters of coco methyl ester in a year.
Coconut oil production is estimated to reach 1.1 million
tons this year.
Consumption of B1 biodiesel blend, earlier projected to
increase 70 million liters, is expected to increase to
70 million liters upon implementation of the 2006
Biofuels Act.
“A
two-percent or B2 blend is seen to reach around 130
million liters a year, once implemented, and will
require an annual coconut oil production of around
115,000 metric tons,” Lao said.
In
another development, the biodiesel project of Chemrez
has been recommended for the comprehensive,
quintessential standard certification from the ISO
referred to as the Integrated Management Systems, or IMS,
by Certification International, Philippines.
Chemrez’s plant is the first and only biodiesel plant in
the country to be IMS-certified. The firm initiated the
process of IMS certification in anticipation of the
requirement under the implementing rules and regulations
of the Biofuels Act for suppliers to have an IMS
certification.
The
firm’s premium coco-biodiesel brand, BioActiv, has been
tested in various government and public laboratories
worldwide and been found compliant with accepted
national and international standards for biodiesel.
Chemrez’s successful completion and passing of the
stringent audit for IMS certification consolidates three
aspects of manufacturing excellence: ISO 9001:2000, a
certificate for Quality Management Systems (QMS), which
is proof of the company’s adherence to global quality
standards and continual improvement of its products and
services. It certifies that consistent business
processes are being applied.
ISO
14001:2004, which is a testament of the company’s
commitment in preventing pollution, complying with
environmental laws, regulations, and other
environmentally oriented requirements, and in
continually improving on these efforts.
OHSAS
18001:1999, which promotes a safe and healthy working
environment by identifying and controlling health and
safety risks, reducing the potential for accidents,
aiding legislative compliance and improving overall
performance.
Chemrez
is the first biodiesel plant to get all three
certifications in one shot and within the shortest time
for all IMS-certified firms.
The firm
has over twenty years of experience in manufacturing
oleochemicals, which includes fuel-grade coconut methyl
ester or BioActiv premium coco-biodiesel.
The
company operates the country’s only state-of-the-art
continuous process trans-esterification and
fractionation plant using a basic process design
provided by Lurgi Lifesciences of Germany.
The
biodiesel facility was commissioned late last year and
has an annual nameplate capacity of 60,000 metric tons
of biodiesel, using coconut oil as feedstock for the
Philippine market.
Chemrez’s continuous process plant is designed to
provide far better reliability and consistency in
product quality which it believes is of critical concern
to oil companies and the motoring public.
The
Biofuels Law requires a one-percent coco-biodiesel blend
in all diesel fuel to be sold starting May 6, 2007. Only
coco-biodiesel products that meet the established
Philippine National Standard are allowed in the market. |
