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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a "wonder" biofuel. A simple shrubby tree native to Central America, it was extremely promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that might grow on abject lands across Latin America, Africa and Asia.
A jatropha rush took place, 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 accusations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon decrease claims.
Today, some scientists continue pursuing the incredibly elusive pledge of high-yielding jatropha. A resurgence, they state, is reliant on cracking the yield issue and resolving the harmful land-use problems linked with its initial failure.
The sole staying big jatropha plantation remains in Ghana. The plantation owner claims high-yield domesticated 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 important 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 throughout 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 fell flat.
Now, after years of research and development, the sole remaining big plantation concentrated 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, embraced a plug-and-play design of hunting for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to advertise it, you require to domesticate it. This is a part of the process that was missed out on [during the boom]," jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian told Mongabay in an interview.
Having learned from the mistakes of jatropha's previous failures, he states the oily plant could yet play an essential function as a liquid biofuel feedstock, lowering transport carbon emissions at the worldwide level. A new boom might bring fringe benefits, with jatropha also a potential source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.
But some scientists are hesitant, keeping in mind that jatropha has currently gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They warn that if the plant is to reach full potential, then it is vital to find out from previous mistakes. During the very first boom, jatropha plantations were obstructed not only by bad yields, however by land grabbing, deforestation, and social issues in nations where it was planted, including Ghana, where jOil operates.
Experts also suggest that jatropha's tale provides 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 originated from its pledge as a "second-generation" biofuel, which are sourced from yards, trees and other plants not obtained from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its multiple purported virtues was a capability 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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