Kemiri Sunan (Aleurites Trisperma BLANCO) is an indigenous tree of the Philippines, but presently many grow naturally in West Java, Indonesia (Duke, 1983). Recently it is being cultivated in the area of Sumedang by our company.
The optimum climate to grow is at temperature 18,7–26,2oC, pH 5,4–7,1.
Grows at low to medium level, in West Java is found growing at an elevation of more than 1000 meter (Hyne, 1987).
Grows as a pole, height can reach 15 meter or more, live until more than 75 years and have a tight and wide canopy. The tight and wide canopy enables the tree to hold rain drops falling directly to the soil surface, so that prevent erosion and increasing absorption of water into the soil. Single Rooted anchorage enables to prevent land slide. Its tick leaves (reaches thousands leaves/tree) are able to tie carbon dioxide and produces plenty of oxygen.
Planting Kemiri Sunan will create a tremendous multiplier effects. Besides being the precise solution to the critical land area rehabilitation, it also produces the alternative sustainable fuel. There will be more opportunities for the development of technology to produce the alternative fuel to replace the fossil fuel. One of the technologies is the use of green fuel as biodiesel. The sustainable green fuel can be obtained from Kemiri Sunan’s and Jatropha Curcas’ seeds.
The greatest potency of the Kemiri Sunan lies on the fruit which consists of nut and shell. In the nut stay seed and seed’s skin. The seed is being processed to produce oil and will be used as source of alternative energy to replace solar after further process.
The seed produces approx. 56% (Vassen & Umali, 2001). To obtain the oil the seed has to be pressed first. The result of the pressing is a yellow clear liquid oil and solid waste.
The oil composition consists of palmitic acid 10%, stearic acid 9%, oleic acid 12%, linoleic acid 19% and alpha-eaeostrearic 51%. The alpha-elaeostearic acid explains about the poison content in the oil.
Kemiri Sunan oil resulting from pressing is then being processed further to become bio diesel. Besides being
Assumed that the productivity per tree at age above 7 years reaches 300 kg dry seeds per year, each household can provide its own biogas need per year only by planting 15 trees Kemiri Sunan, and they do not need to buy more kerosene. So that destroying forest to steal wood will no longer be necessary.
The waste cake after being used to produce biogas can be used for manure. 1 Hectare paddy field needs 15- kg (N content 45%) urea fertilizer. Assumed in 1 kg waste biogas cake contains 6% of N, it will need approx. 7.2 waste biogas cakes per hectare. There are 3 planting seasons a year, the total need will be 6-7.2 tons waste biogas cake to replace urea fertilizer. It can be covered from harvest of planting 48 trees. We can imagine the size of area which can use the manure without having to buy urea fertilizer. (Input initially for 2 years).
The conclusion is it is no mission impossible that by planting Kemiri Sunan we can develop RENEWABLE ENERGY AND FERTILIZER INDEPENDENT VILLAGES.