"In natura" palm oil as fuel in a conventional diesel engine - implantation and tests at the Vila Soledade community, Para, Brazil

Isolated communities characterize the territorial occupation in the Amazon region, which makes the conventional electric distribution economically and technically impracticable. To solve the electric problem of these communities, it is necessary for them to produce their own fuel in order to generate electric energy and promote local development. These are the premises that have guided the elaboration of the project PROVEGAM. Implantation and test of a unit demonstration of vegetable oil energetic utilization which has a conventional diesel engine installation and performance testing objective, adapted to operate with palm oil "in natura" at the Vila Soledade community, Moju, Para, an isolated community which has approximately 700 inhabitants, 120 houses and it is located at one hundred and forty kilometers from downtown by car and 30 minutes more by boat. The PROVEGAM project installed a diesel generator adapted with a conversion kit to operate with "in natura" palm oil. Currently, the generator group is working in the community during 5 hours per day with palm oil, 1 hour with diesel oil having more than 3500 hours of testing. During the diesel generator operation, diesel oil emissions and performance were compared with the palm oil. The project results, so far, have confirmed the conceived premises, and this electric model of generating energy is already recommended to be implemented in other communities in the Amazon region