If you liked this story, share it with other people.
Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a "miracle" biofuel. An unassuming shrubby tree belonging to Central America, it was hugely promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that might grow on abject lands throughout Latin America, Africa and Asia.
A jatropha rush ensued, with more than 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) planted by 2008. But the bubble burst. Low yields caused plantation failures nearly everywhere. The aftermath of the jatropha crash was polluted by allegations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon decrease claims.
Today, some scientists continue pursuing the evasive promise of high-yielding jatropha. A comeback, they state, depends on splitting the yield problem and addressing the damaging land-use problems intertwined with its initial failure.
The sole remaining large jatropha plantation remains in Ghana. The plantation owner declares high-yield domesticated varieties have been attained and a new boom is at hand. But even if this comeback falters, the world's experience of jatropha holds important lessons for any appealing up-and-coming biofuel.
At the start of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, an unassuming shrub-like tree native to Central America, was planted across the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its pledge as a sustainable source of biofuel that might 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 remaining big plantation concentrated on growing jatropha remains in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, declares the jatropha comeback is on.
"All those business that failed, embraced a plug-and-play model of scouting for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to commercialize it, you require to domesticate it. This is a part of the process that was missed [throughout the boom]," jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian informed Mongabay in an interview.
Having discovered from the mistakes of jatropha's past failures, he says the oily plant could yet play a crucial role as a liquid biofuel feedstock, decreasing transport carbon emissions at the global level. A new boom could bring additional benefits, with jatropha also a prospective source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.
But some scientists are doubtful, noting that jatropha has actually already gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They warn that if the plant is to reach complete capacity, then it is necessary to gain from previous errors. During the first boom, jatropha plantations were obstructed not just by poor yields, but by land grabbing, deforestation, and social problems in nations where it was planted, consisting of Ghana, where jOil operates.
Experts also recommend that jatropha's tale offers lessons for scientists and entrepreneurs checking out promising new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.
Miracle shrub, significant bust
Jatropha's early 21st-century appeal came from its pledge as a "second-generation" biofuel, which are sourced from grasses, trees and other plants not originated from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its numerous purported virtues was a capability to flourish on degraded or "limited" lands
1
Jatropha: the Biofuel that Bombed Seeks a Path To Redemption
jannette25g492 edited this page 2025-01-19 00:13:45 +11:00