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Earlier this century, jatropha curcas 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 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 resulted in plantation failures almost everywhere. The aftermath of the jatropha curcas crash was tainted by accusations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon reduction claims.
Today, some researchers continue pursuing the incredibly elusive promise of high-yielding jatropha. A comeback, they state, is dependent on cracking the yield problem and resolving the damaging land-use concerns linked with its original failure.
The sole remaining big jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner claims high-yield domesticated ranges have been achieved and a new boom is at hand. But even if this resurgence falters, the world's experience of jatropha holds important lessons for any appealing up-and-coming biofuel.
At the beginning 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 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 study 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 resurgence is on.
"All those business that failed, adopted a plug-and-play model of hunting for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to advertise it, you need to domesticate it. This is a part of the procedure that was missed [throughout the boom]," jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian informed Mongabay in an interview.
Having found out from the errors of jatropha's past failures, he says the oily plant could yet play a key role as a liquid biofuel feedstock, decreasing transportation carbon emissions at the worldwide level. A new boom could bring fringe benefits, with jatropha also a potential source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.
But some researchers are skeptical, keeping in mind that jatropha has actually already gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They warn that if the plant is to reach full capacity, then it is necessary to gain from previous mistakes. During the very first boom, jatropha plantations were hampered not just by poor yields, however by land grabbing, deforestation, and social problems in nations where it was planted, including Ghana, where jOil operates.
Experts likewise suggest that jatropha's tale uses lessons for scientists and business owners exploring appealing brand-new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.
Miracle shrub, significant bust
Jatropha's early 21st-century appeal stemmed from its guarantee as a "second-generation" biofuel, which are sourced from lawns, trees and other plants not derived from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its numerous purported virtues was an ability to flourish on degraded or "marginal" lands
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Jatropha: the Biofuel that Bombed Seeks a Path To Redemption
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