China: Biodiesel projects to solve energy shortage

Nearly 7,000 hectares of biodiesel forest will take shape in the northern province of Hebei this year, part of a national campaign to fuel the fast growing economy in a green way.

In no more than five years, the Pistacia chinensis Bunge, whose seeds have an oil content of up to 40 percent, will yield five tons of fruit and contribute about two tons of high-quality biological diesel oil, according to the provincial forestry administration
Hebei was among seven regions designated by the State Forestry Administration (SFA) in 2006 to develop biofuel demonstration forests.

Hebei, Anhui, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan and Shanxi provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region will grow a total of 400,000 hectares of oil-bearing plants, including Pistacia chinensis Bunge, Jatroha L, Cornus wisoniana and Xanthoceras sorbifolia, by 2010.

The provincial government of Hebei that borders Beijing, has made a bolder decision. It will plant nearly 870,000 hectares of saplings of various kinds of biodiesel trees in its vast mountain areas as of 2050 to provide 5.5 million tons of seeds for extraction and refining.

Red Net