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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a "wonder" biofuel. A simple shrubby tree native to Central America, it was hugely promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that could grow on abject lands across 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 all over. The aftermath of the jatropha crash was polluted by allegations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon reduction claims.
Today, some researchers continue pursuing the incredibly elusive promise of high-yielding jatropha. A resurgence, they say, is reliant on cracking the yield issue and addressing the hazardous land-use issues linked with its original failure.
The sole staying big jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner declares high-yield domesticated ranges have actually been attained and a new boom is at hand. But even if this return falters, the world's experience of jatropha curcas holds important lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.
At the start of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, a simple shrub-like tree belonging to Central America, was planted throughout the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its promise as a sustainable source of biofuel that could be grown on deteriorated, unfertile lands so as not to displace food crops. But inflated claims of high yields fell flat.
Now, after years of research study and advancement, the sole staying big plantation focused on growing jatropha remains in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, declares the jatropha resurgence is on.
"All those business that stopped working, embraced a plug-and-play model of scouting for the wild ranges of jatropha. But to commercialize it, you require to domesticate it. This belongs of the procedure that was missed [throughout the boom]," jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian told Mongabay in an interview.
Having learned from the mistakes of jatropha's previous failures, he says the oily plant could yet play a crucial function as a liquid biofuel feedstock, decreasing transportation carbon emissions at the global level. A brand-new boom could bring fringe benefits, with jatropha also a potential source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.
But some scientists are doubtful, keeping in mind that jatropha has actually currently gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They caution that if the plant is to reach complete capacity, then it is vital to gain from past errors. During the very first boom, jatropha plantations were obstructed not only by bad yields, however by land grabbing, logging, and social problems in nations where it was planted, including Ghana, where jOil runs.
Experts likewise suggest that jatropha's tale provides lessons for scientists and business owners checking out appealing new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.
Miracle shrub, major bust
Jatropha's early 21st-century appeal stemmed from its guarantee 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 multiple supposed virtues was a capability to thrive on degraded or "limited" lands
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Jatropha: the Biofuel that Bombed Seeks a Path To Redemption
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