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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a "wonder" biofuel. A simple shrubby tree native to Central America, it was wildly promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that might grow on abject lands throughout 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 caused plantation failures nearly all over. The after-effects of the jatropha crash was tainted by allegations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon decrease claims.
Today, some researchers continue pursuing the incredibly elusive guarantee of high-yielding jatropha. A comeback, they state, depends on splitting the yield problem and addressing the damaging land-use problems linked with its initial failure.
The sole remaining large jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner declares high-yield domesticated varieties have actually been attained and a brand-new boom is at hand. But even if this comeback falters, the world's experience of jatropha holds crucial lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.
At the start 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 promise 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 failed.
Now, after years of research and development, the sole staying big plantation concentrated on growing jatropha is in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, claims the jatropha resurgence is on.
"All those companies that stopped working, embraced a plug-and-play model of hunting for the wild ranges of jatropha. But to commercialize it, you require to domesticate it. This is a part of the procedure that was missed [throughout the boom]," jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian told Mongabay in an interview.
Having found out from the mistakes of jatropha's past failures, he states the oily plant could yet play a key function as a liquid biofuel feedstock, minimizing transport carbon emissions at the worldwide level. A brand-new boom could bring additional benefits, with jatropha likewise a potential source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.
But some scientists are doubtful, noting that jatropha has actually currently gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They caution that if the plant is to reach complete potential, then it is necessary to find out from past errors. During the very first boom, jatropha plantations were hindered not only by bad yields, however by land grabbing, logging, and social problems in countries where it was planted, including Ghana, where jOil runs.
Experts also suggest that jatropha's tale uses lessons for scientists and business owners checking out promising 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 yards, trees and other plants not stemmed from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its multiple purported virtues was an ability to flourish on degraded or "limited" lands
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Jatropha: the Biofuel that Bombed Seeks a Course To Redemption
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