Page 127 - Biofuels Refining and Performance
P. 127
110 Chapter Four
grow on, regardless, waiting for their energetic potential to be discov-
ered. The key is to find crops or trees that need very little care, have high
oil content, and are resistant to plagues and drainage. The foliage could
be used as manure, giving an added value to the crop. In fact, most of
the trees and crops mentioned in the following (karanja, neem, etc.)
grow well on wasteland and can tolerate long periods of drought and dry
conditions.
4.2.1 Bahapilu oil
Crop description. Salvadora oleoides Decne, S. persica L., and S. indica—
commonly known as bahapilu, chootapilu, jhal, jaal, pilu, kabbar,
khakan, and mitijar—belong to the family Salvadoraceae and are found
in arid regions of western India and Pakistan (see Figs. 4.1 and 4.2). The
crop is typical of the tropical thorn forest. It is highly salt tolerant and
grows in coastal regions and on inland saline soils [48, 49]. S. oleoides
is a shrub or small tree up to 9 m in height. Seeds contain 40–50% of
a greenish-yellow fat containing large amounts of lauric and myristic
acids [50].
Figure 4.1 Salvadora persica. (Photo courtesy of Abdulrahman Alsirhan
[www.alsirhan.com/Plants_s/Salvadora_persica.htm].)
