Platinum Expects to Complete Biodiesel Facility By July
Posted on: Thursday, 15 May 2008, 00:00 CDT
By Rupinder Singh
PLATINUM Energy Sdn Bhd expects to complete its 200,000-tonne-a- year biodiesel facility by July this year.
The RM60 million plant is located within the company's High Technology Biopark in Senawang, Negeri Sembilan.
It is also working on commercialising a third generation biomass- to-liquid technology to produce green diesel from jatropha biomass, said its managing director Jespal Deol Abdullah.
The project includes cultivating over 200,000ha of jatropha in South Sulawesi and Banten, Indonesia.
Platinum will also collaborate with Nandan-Alphakat Pte Ltd to commercialise the biomass-to-liquid Catalytic Depolymerisation Technology (KDV technology).
"With KDV technology, the product is green diesel. It's a direct substitute of diesel and not for blending purposes, almost no different from fossil fuel, as opposed to biodiesel (which is) blended," Jespal said after the signing of six agreements and memorandums of understanding in Kuala Lumpur recently.
The jatropha plantation project will start in the fourth quarter of 2008. The first commercial yield is anticipated by 2010.
Platinum plans to start a pilot project for the KDV technology at its High Technology Biopark by July this year.
It will initially use biomass as its source of feedstock, specifically agriculture waste like rice husks and empty fruit bunches and shells from oil palm.
On Tuesday, India's Nandan Biomatrix Ltd entered into a share swap deal where Nandan will end up with a 20 per cent stake in Platinum. They will also set up a joint-venture company, Nandan Platinum Sdn Bhd.
Octagon Consolidated Bhd also agreed to buy 27.4 per cent of Platinum for RM9.9 million.
Platinum Energy is an investment holding company established to develop and adopt sustainable alternative energy solutions.
Among its shareholders are its chairman Tan Sri Abi Musa Asa'ari Mohamed Nor and deputy chairman Datuk Mohd Sallehuddin Othman.
(c) 2008 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: New Straits Times
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