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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a "wonder" biofuel. An unassuming shrubby tree belonging to Central America, it was wildly promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that might grow on degraded lands across Latin America, Africa and Asia.
A jatropha rush occurred, with more than 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) planted by 2008. But the bubble burst. Low yields resulted in plantation failures nearly everywhere. The consequences of the jatropha crash was polluted by accusations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon reduction claims.
Today, some researchers continue pursuing the evasive pledge of high-yielding jatropha. A comeback, they say, depends on cracking the yield problem and addressing the damaging land-use issues linked with its original failure.
The sole remaining large jatropha curcas plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner declares high-yield domesticated ranges have actually been achieved and a new boom is at hand. But even if this return falters, the world's experience of jatropha holds essential lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, an unassuming shrub-like tree native to Central America, was planted throughout the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its guarantee as a sustainable source of biofuel that could be grown on degraded, unfertile lands so as not to displace food crops. But inflated claims of high yields fell flat.
Now, after years of research study and development, the sole staying big plantation concentrated on growing jatropha is in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, declares the jatropha return is on.
"All those companies that stopped working, embraced a plug-and-play model of hunting for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to advertise it, you need to domesticate it. This belongs of the procedure that was missed [during the boom]," jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian informed Mongabay in an interview.
Having gained from the errors of jatropha's past failures, he states the oily plant might yet play a crucial function as a liquid biofuel feedstock, reducing transportation carbon emissions at the global level. A brand-new boom might bring additional advantages, with jatropha also a prospective source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.
But some researchers are doubtful, keeping in mind that jatropha has actually already gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They caution that if the plant is to reach complete capacity, then it is essential to gain from previous errors. During the first boom, jatropha plantations were obstructed not only by poor yields, but by land grabbing, logging, and social issues in countries where it was planted, consisting of Ghana, where jOil runs.
Experts likewise recommend that jatropha's tale offers lessons for scientists and entrepreneurs checking out appealing new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.
Miracle shrub, major bust
Jatropha's early 21st-century appeal stemmed from its promise as a "second-generation" biofuel, which are sourced from grasses, trees and other plants not stemmed from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its several purported virtues was an ability to flourish on degraded or "minimal" lands
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Jatropha: the Biofuel that Bombed Seeks a Path To Redemption
alejandrosprin edited this page 2025-01-18 18:33:02 +11:00