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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 led to plantation failures almost all over. The consequences of the jatropha curcas crash was polluted by allegations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon reduction claims.
Today, some researchers continue pursuing the incredibly elusive pledge of high-yielding jatropha. A resurgence, they state, depends on splitting the yield problem and attending to the damaging land-use issues linked with its initial failure.
The sole remaining large jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner claims high-yield domesticated ranges have actually been achieved and a new boom is at hand. But even if this comeback fails, the world's experience of jatropha curcas holds essential lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.
At the start of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, an unassuming shrub-like tree belonging to Central America, was planted across the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its promise as a sustainable source of biofuel that could be grown on broken down, unfertile lands so as not to displace food crops. But inflated claims of high yields failed.
Now, after years of research and advancement, the sole remaining large plantation focused on growing jatropha is in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, claims the jatropha return is on.
"All those companies that stopped working, adopted a plug-and-play model of searching for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to advertise it, you require to domesticate it. This is a part 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 key role as a liquid biofuel feedstock, decreasing transportation carbon emissions at the global level. A new boom could bring additional benefits, with jatropha likewise a prospective source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.
But some scientists are hesitant, noting that jatropha has currently gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They caution that if the plant is to reach complete potential, then it is vital to gain from past errors. During the first boom, jatropha plantations were hindered not just by bad yields, however by land grabbing, logging, and social problems in nations where it was planted, consisting of Ghana, where jOil runs.
Experts likewise recommend that jatropha's tale uses 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 lawns, trees and other plants not originated from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its several supposed virtues was an ability to flourish on degraded or "limited" lands
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Jatropha: the Biofuel that Bombed Seeks a Path To Redemption
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