Coconut and malunggay—among the biofuel crops that are environment-friendly and do not compete directly with food sources—are the “champions.” While coconut can be considered the perennial champion as a biofuel source, malunggay can emerge as the new champ.

The country today has more than 324 million coconut trees planted in more than three million hectares of lands, with 16 million more to be planted in the next one to three years under the ambitious planting program of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).

A coconut tree, two to three years after being planted, can produce nuts for a maximum of 50 years. And with advances in the development of high-yielding breeds and the discovery that salt can increase nut yields, propagating coconut for biofuel production can be very feasible for the country and profitable for farmers and growers.

The wonder is that coconut is not “choosy” for it for it can be planted in almost any type of soil, including the sandy soils of seashores where vegetables and corn cannot be grown.

Proven history of coconut oil
The use of coconut as biofuel or burning oil has also been well established in the Philippines, even before scientific studies were done. Philippine Coconut Authority documents show that the use of coconut oil in household lamps dates back to the Spanish era.

During the Japanese occupation, coconut oil-powered tractors and bulldozers were used to build airfields. With the low supply of diesel, some rice mills had to used coconut oil. The authority strongly campaigned for the wider use of coconut oil as diesel substitute or additive many years before the enactment of the Biofuels Act of 2006.

In 1977, the authority in cooperation with the University of the Philippines tested with success the use of 100-percent coconut oil on a jeepney with a diesel engine.

And in 1982, coconut oil as 100-percent fuel or mixed with diesel was tested successfully on buses operated by the Metro Manila Transit Corp. and Pantranco. Tests done on trains of the Philippine National Railways, the stationary power plants of the National Power Corp. (Napocor) and the trucks and boats of the Philippine Navy were all also successful.

The government in 1982 was about to start, but desisted for some reason, using cocodiesel in some of the Napocor stationary power plants.

Nonetheless, interest in the use of coconut oil as the substitute for diesel or an additive never waned. Chemrez, a company that manufactures a biofuel additive that can be used also as a 100-percent replacement for diesel, has been exporting its products to Japan and foreign markets. It is promoting its coconut oil to motorists with diesel-powered vehicles. It continues to be at the forefront of biodiesel development.

Not only will the use of coconut oil as biofuel benefit the environment—it will also provide an alternative market for poor coconut farmers whose copra is now mostly bought for food processing, cosmetic and pharmaceutical purposes.

“The wider use of coconut oil as biofuel will stabilize or improve the price of copra because the demand for it [copra] will grow. That will give the poor coconut farmers better earnings,” a farmer member of the Farmer Sectoral Council, who asked not to be named, told The Manila Times. That council is a consultative body made up of representatives from the farming sector and part of the National Anti-Poverty Council.

To spur higher production, the Philippine Coconut Authority is urging coconut farmers to use common table salt to significantly increase yields—by as much as 20 percent.

The coconut tree is a marvel. Its other parts are also useful, particularly its inflorescence, from where the cocosap is extracted. Cocosap can be processed into cocosugar (which commands a high price in the US because it is safe for diabetics), vinegar and cocohoney.

The fiber from the coconut husk can be processed into geo-textiles (which is used to check corrosion) that are in high demand in China and other countries.

New biofuel champion
Like coconut, malunggay is not “choosy” about the type of soil it can grow in. And like the coconut tree, malunggay can be productive for up to 50 years from the time it starts producing pods.

The most useful parts of malunggay are the leaves and pods. The leaves, a popular vegetable, can also be made into tea and fortifier for animal and human feeds. The leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals. Doctors recommend it particularly to lactating mothers.

The oil is extracted from the pods. Malunggay oil has applications in food processing, pharmaceutical and cosmetics. Early this year, a team of Masters of Business Administration students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recommended the massive cultivation of malunggay (scientific name moringa oleifera) in the Philippines for biofuels.

The team studied the market outlook for malunggay oil as part of their partial requirement for the completion of the Global Entrepreneurship Laboratory Course under the MIT’s Sloan School of Management in Boston. Their study said the massive cultivation of malunggay for biofuels can generate million of jobs and help alleviate poverty in rural areas in the Philippines.

Studies done by the government show that a 10-hectare malunggay farm can earn P2 million in revenues during the first year, and from P3 to P4 million in the next years as the plant starts to increase its yield of seeds.

It is also easier to propagate malunggay compared to other crops. Scientists and farmers interviewed by The Manila Times said planting a malunggay seed one centimeter deep is all that is needed to start the plant growing.

Malunggay can also be planted alongside other crops, because it does not rob the soil of nutrients. And malunggay can thrive without the use of fertilizers or pesticides, although there are technologies that can convert the leaves of malunggay into organic fertilizer.

The humble tree can also be used for reforestation along slopes that are not too steep, or even in backyards where the soil is not conducive to planting traditional crops.

While the coconut tree is called “the tree of life” because of its many uses, malunggay is popularly called the “miracle tree” for its versatility. But with the findings of the MIT students that malunggay oil can be used for biofuels, the humble tree could even become “the millionaire’s tree.”