Abstract ID: 590

Oil extraction from native palms in forest and pasture to meet demand for fuel in rural Amazonia

In the midst of a worldwide explosion of interest in biofuels, concern has arisen over displaced food crops as well as forest conversion and the overall trade-offs of biofuel production. Nonetheless, biofuels represent an promising resource for local fuel supplies in isolated rural areas of Brazilian Amazonia, where communities depend on fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation. A switch to biofuels would not only create a cleaner environment, but also minimize fuel costs as landholders convert oil extracted from surrounding forest to biodiesel. Palms from the genera Attalea and Astrocaryum occur throughout Amazonia and produce copious amounts of oil-rich fruits. To asses these palms’ potential as an oil source for biodiesel, we monitored flowering and fruiting phenologies of Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng., Attalea speciosa Mart. ex Spreng., and Astrocaryum aculeatum G. Mey. in pastures and old-growth forests of Acre and Rondônia, Brazil, over 18 months. We also collected infructescences from each species to measure fruit production and analyze oil content. In vast areas of Rondônia, Attalea speciosa dominates the forest and is considered an invasive species on cleared lands. Likewise, Attalea phalerata and Astrocaryum aculeatum are common to both forests and pastures throughout their natural range in Acre and Rondônia. A. speciosa exhibits strong potential for oil production due to high average fruit production per palm (120 kg) and high mean densities in pasture as well as forest (30 ha^-1). On the other hand, A. phalerata annually produces an average 60 kg of fruit per tree and occurs at lower adult densities (10 ha^-1). Lastly, on average Astrocaryum aculeatum produces less than 25 kg of fruit per tree at adult densities near 10 ha^-1.

Session:  LCLUC and Human Dimensions - Current and future trends of land-use/land-cover change and agricultural intensification.

Presentation Type:  Poster