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Mongolia: Yak Tallow Bio-diesel

Photo: robsansom1981, courtesy of Flickr

Mongolia is a land-locked country with a vast land area — settlements are scattered across its enormous landscape and separated by long distances. The rising costs of transportation and fuel are causing difficulties for many, but particularly for families living in isolated rural areas, who have seen fuel prices rise twofold or even threefold over the last six years. At the same time, air pollution from diesel engines has increased dramatically, prompting the Mongolian government to analyze and control automotive emissions.

The heightened fuel poverty and levels of pollution have led to considerable interest in converting yak tallow into bio-diesel. In the Mongolian culture, every part of the animal is used except the tallow which, unlike most other fats, is inedible. Only small amounts of yak tallow are currently used for candles.

Using this waste product would help to reduce air pollution, generate extra income for poor herders and contribute to a reduction in worldwide CO2 levels. There are large numbers of yak across many areas of Mongolia, so it is an abundant and renewable resource.

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Mercy Corps Mongolia is working in partnership with a Chinese university — which will be providing scientific and technical expertise — to build several bio-diesel conversion plants. The size of each plant can vary from a small unit that can be operated by a single herder to a larger semi-commercial operation.

The bio-diesel generated from yak tallow can be used in the same ways as mineral-based diesel fuel, provided it is produced to the required specification. It has a range of environmental benefits when compared to mineral diesel:

• It burns more cleanly than mineral diesel, reducing the emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulphates and particulates
• The CO2 produced during its combustion is, to a large extent, offset by the CO2 absorbed during the growth of the crops used to produce the oil
• Bio-diesel also has a very low toxicity and quickly biodegrades, therefore presenting a far lower hazard on spillage than mineral diesel
• It is safer and easier to handle

The initial budget for the project is $15,000. You can click here to support this project through a donation to our Climate Change Initiative.

How your investment will be used

Mercy Corps plans to set up a pilot plant for the conversion of yak tallow into bio-diesel. Once the economic benefits of this are demonstrated, we hope that it will lead to widespread interest in the use of tallow as fuel.

Microfinance options will be established to help herders afford the initial capital costs of buying conversion plants. Here are a few estimates of vehicle numbers that the plants could be used to fuel, as well as expected carbon reductions:

• One plant can process almost 11,000 kg (about 12 tons) of yak tallow each year, fueling 10 vehicles and keeping 21 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere,
• Ten plants can process nearly 110,000 kg (about 120 tons) a year, fueling 100 vehicles and reducing carbon emissions by 210 tons,
• And 100 plants could process nearly 1.1 million kg (about 1200 tons) a year, fueling 1000 vehicles and resulting in 2100 tons of CO2 reduction.

This will generate vital income for local herders in addition to reducing worldwide CO2 levels. The intended outcome is that the economic and environmental benefits will lead to widespread replication throughout the country.