14．Biodiesel  生物柴油

Yuthachai of Thailand has invented a home-grown alternative to expensive imported diesel, a biodiesel derived from vegetable oil. Biodiesel is winning political backing in Thailand because it uses coconut and palm oil, both of which are in price slumps, and it limits the reliance on overseas petroleum source, which have become increasingly expensive.

Yuthachai, 56, has patented his coconut-oil fuel-making process. He developed his biodiesel 18 years ago, using knowledge he gained from working on a plantation and fixing farm machinery. He now sells his fuel at service stations, but refuses to sell his patent, despite attractive offers from overseas oil firms. He is determined to retain control of his formula and keep it accessible to farmers, so they can make their own fuel.

There are several formulations of biodiesel, but Yuthachai’s is one of the most basic, using 20 parts crude coconut oil to one part kerosene. It requires only simple, affordable technology to make and works in unmodified, slow-running engines.

Despite the public interest in biodiesel, the government has been cautious about Yuthachai’s fuel. Since there is currently no regulatory system for vegetable-oil fuels, Yuthachai fuel cannot be used in regular vehicles. But farmers and ferry operators are more enthusiastic, buying 700,000 liters a day of biodiesel made from crude vegetable oils to run farm machines and boats. Demand is growing: A liter of biodiesel is 4—6 US cents cheaper than diesel.

According to some scientists, the biodiesel produced from crude coconut oil may not run through engines as easily as diesel, and fatty-acid deposits can damage engines in the long run. A solution may soon come from using waste cooking oil. An experimental biodiesel plant to refine the waste oil is being built in Thailand. The plant will show the biodiesel-making potential of 60,000 tonnes of waste cooking oil that Bangkok generates daily.

Other Asian countries have been researching biodiesel — Malaysia, and the Philippines for 20 years — but Thailand is the first country to have public policy supporting its commercialization.

That trend looks like continuing, with the government in talks with a U.S. company to build a more advanced plant in Thailand. Until that’s working, homegrown biodiesels will help boost the fortunes of struggling Thais.

泰国人Yuthachai发明了一种取自于植物油的生物柴油，这是一种可取代昂贵的进口柴油的本地产的燃料。由于生物柴油的原料为价格正在下跌的椰油和棕榈油，并且生物柴油还降低了国家对价格日趋昂贵的海外石油资源的依赖，所以生物柴油赢得了泰国政府的支持。

56岁的Yuthachai为其椰油燃料生产过程申请了专利。18年前，他利用自己在种植园工作中和维修农场器具时所获得的知识发明了生物柴油。目前，他在服务站销售自己发明的燃料，但却顶住了外国石油公司的诱惑，拒绝出售生产生物柴油的专利。他决心要控制住生物柴油的生产配方，使泰国农民能利用他的配方，自行生产生物柴油。

生物柴油共有数种，但Yuthachai的生物柴油是最基本的一种，原料为20:1的天然椰油和煤油。生产这种生物柴油所需技术简单且便宜，可在未经改造的运转缓慢的发动机中可使用。

尽管公众对Yuthachai发明的燃料颇感兴趣，但政府却抱以谨慎态度。由于目前还缺乏植物油燃料方面的管理体制，所以普通的车辆还不能使用Yuthachai的燃料。但是农民和船主却非常热情，每天要购买70万升的产自天然植物油的生物柴油作为农场机器和船只的燃料。需求量在节节攀升：一升生物柴油比普通柴油要便宜4～6美分。

根据一些科学家的观点，产自于天然椰油的生物柴油在发动机上不如普通柴油好用，并且脂肪酸沉积物最终会对发动机造成损害。不久我们就会拥有一种解决方法，用废烹调油生产生物柴油。泰国正在建立一个提炼废烹调油的实验性生物柴油制造厂，可将曼谷每天产生的6万公吨废烹调油提炼成生物柴油。

其他亚洲国家也在研究生物柴油的制造——其中马来西亚和菲律宾已进行了20年的研究，但是，泰国是用政府政策支持生物柴油商业化的第一个国家。

这种发展势头似乎还要继续下去。泰国政府正在与一家美国公司进行洽谈，以期在泰国建立一家更加先进的生物柴油制造厂。在该制造厂投人运行之前，本地产生物柴油将会有助于改善苦苦挣扎的泰国人的命运。

★1).Thailand suffers a lot due to the price slumps of its biodiesel.-N

★2).Biodiesel is superior in quality to traditional petroleum.-W

★3).Biodiesel can be made from coconut and palm oil, or from waste cooking oil.-R

★4).Malaysia, and the Philippines are the first countries in the world to have public policy supporting the commercialization of biodiesels.-W

★5).Yuthachai’s fuel is welcomed by both farmers and ferry operators for its low prices.-R

★6).Yuthachai, the inventor of biodiesel, is currently the general manager of a US-Thailand joint venture in Bangkok.-N

★7).It seems that Yuthachai places his fellow farmers’ interest before his own.-R