If you liked this story, share it with other individuals.

Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a "wonder" biofuel. An unassuming shrubby tree belonging 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 resulted in plantation failures nearly all over. The aftermath of the jatropha crash was tainted by allegations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon decrease claims.
Today, some researchers continue pursuing the evasive guarantee of high-yielding jatropha. A comeback, they say, is dependent on breaking the yield problem and resolving the hazardous land-use concerns intertwined with its original failure.
The sole remaining large jatropha plantation remains in Ghana. The plantation owner declares high-yield domesticated varieties have actually been accomplished and a new boom is at hand. But even if this return 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 belonging to Central America, was planted across the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its guarantee 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 study and development, the sole remaining big plantation concentrated on growing jatropha remains in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, declares the jatropha return is on.

"All those companies that failed, adopted a plug-and-play design of scouting for the wild ranges of jatropha. But to advertise it, you need to domesticate it. This belongs of the process that was missed [during the boom]," jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian told Mongabay in an interview.

Having gained from the mistakes of jatropha's past failures, he says the oily plant might yet play a key function as a liquid biofuel feedstock, decreasing transport carbon emissions at the global level. A brand-new boom might bring fringe benefits, with jatropha likewise a prospective source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.

But some researchers are skeptical, keeping in mind that jatropha has already gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They warn that if the plant is to reach full capacity, then it is vital to find out from past errors. During the very first boom, jatropha plantations were hindered not just by bad yields, however by land grabbing, deforestation, and social issues in countries where it was planted, including Ghana, where jOil runs.

Experts also recommend that jatropha's tale provides lessons for scientists and business owners checking out appealing 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 grasses, 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 "minimal" lands; therefore, it was claimed it would never take on food crops, so the theory went.

At that time, jatropha ticked all the boxes, states Alexandros Gasparatos, now at the University of Tokyo's Institute for Future Initiatives. "We had a crop that appeared amazing; that can grow without too much fertilizer, too lots of pesticides, or too much need for water, that can be exported [as fuel] abroad, and does not take on food because it is dangerous."

Governments, worldwide firms, financiers and companies bought into the hype, introducing efforts to plant, or pledge to plant, countless hectares of jatropha. By 2008, plantations covered some 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) in Latin America, Africa and Asia, according to a market study got ready for WWF.

It didn't take wish for the mirage of the miraculous biofuel tree to fade.

In 2009, a Friends of the Earth report from Eswatini (still known at the time as Swaziland) warned that jatropha's high demands for land would indeed bring it into direct dispute with food crops. By 2011, a global review kept in mind that "cultivation outmatched both clinical understanding of the crop's potential as well as an understanding of how the crop fits into existing rural economies and the degree to which it can grow on marginal lands."

Projections estimated 4.7 million hectares (11.7 million acres) would be planted by 2010, and 12.8 million hectares (31.6 million acres) by 2015. However, only 1.19 million hectares (2.94 million acres) were growing by 2011. Projects and plantations began to fail as expected yields declined to materialize. Jatropha might grow on abject lands and tolerate dry spell conditions, as declared, but yields stayed poor.

"In my opinion, this mix of speculative investment, export-oriented capacity, and possible to grow under reasonably poorer conditions, produced an extremely huge issue," resulting in "undervalued yields that were going to be produced," Gasparatos says.

As jatropha plantations went from boom to bust, they were likewise afflicted by environmental, social and financial troubles, say professionals. Accusations of land grabs, the conversion of food crop lands, and clearing of natural areas were reported.

Studies found that land-use change for jatropha in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Tanzania resulted in a loss of biodiversity. A study from Mexico found the "carbon repayment" of jatropha plantations due to associated forest loss varied between 2 and 14 years, and "in some circumstances, the carbon debt may never ever be recuperated." In India, production revealed carbon advantages, however using fertilizers led to increases of soil and water "acidification, ecotoxicity, eutrophication."

"If you look at most of the plantations in Ghana, they declare that the jatropha produced was positioned on marginal land, however the idea of limited land is extremely elusive," discusses Abubakari Ahmed, a speaker at the University for Development Studies, Ghana. He studied the implications of jatropha plantations in the country over several years, and found that a lax meaning of "limited" implied that presumptions that the land co-opted for jatropha plantations had actually been lying untouched and unused was typically illusory.

"Marginal to whom?" he asks. "The truth that ... currently nobody is utilizing [land] for farming does not imply that no one is utilizing it [for other purposes] There are a great deal of nature-based livelihoods on those landscapes that you may not necessarily see from satellite images."

Learning from jatropha

There are crucial lessons to be gained from the experience with jatropha, state analysts, which ought to be heeded when considering other auspicious second-generation biofuels.

"There was a boom [in financial investment], however sadly not of research, and action was taken based upon alleged benefits of jatropha," states Bart Muys, a professor in the Division of Forest, Nature and Landscape at the University of Leuven, Belgium. In 2014, as the jatropha hype was unwinding, Muys and colleagues released a paper citing crucial lessons.

Fundamentally, he explains, there was a lack of knowledge about the plant itself and its requirements. This essential requirement for in advance research study might be applied to other potential biofuel crops, he says. In 2015, for instance, his team launched a paper evaluating the yields of pongamia (Millettia pinnata), a "fast-growing, leguminous and multipurpose tree species" with biofuel pledge.

Like jatropha, pongamia can be grown on abject and limited land. But Muys's research revealed yields to be extremely variable, contrary to other reports. The group concluded that "pongamia still can not be considered a substantial and steady source of biofuel feedstock due to continuing knowledge spaces." Use of such cautionary data could avoid inefficient monetary speculation and careless land conversion for brand-new biofuels.

"There are other really appealing trees or plants that might function as a fuel or a biomass manufacturer," Muys says. "We wished to avoid [them going] in the very same direction of premature buzz and fail, like jatropha."

Gasparatos underlines essential requirements that must be met before moving ahead with brand-new biofuel plantations: high yields must be unlocked, inputs to reach those yields understood, and a ready market needs to be readily available.

"Basically, the crop needs to be domesticated, or [clinical understanding] at a level that we understand how it is grown," Gasparatos states. Jatropha "was virtually undomesticated when it was promoted, which was so weird."

How biofuel lands are obtained is also crucial, states Ahmed. Based upon experiences in Ghana where communally utilized lands were acquired for production, authorities should make sure that "guidelines are put in location to check how massive land acquisitions will be done and documented in order to reduce a few of the problems we observed."

A jatropha resurgence?

Despite all these obstacles, some researchers still think that under the best conditions, jatropha might be a valuable biofuel service - particularly for the difficult-to-decarbonize transport sector "responsible for approximately one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions."

"I believe jatropha has some possible, but it needs to be the right product, grown in the ideal place, and so on," Muys said.

Mohammad Alherbawi, a postdoctoral research fellow at Qatar's Hamad Bin Khalifa University, continues holding out hope for jatropha. He sees it as a way that Qatar may reduce airline carbon emissions. According to his quotes, its use as a jet fuel could lead to about a 40% reduction of "cradle to tomb" emissions.

Alherbawi's team is performing ongoing field studies to improve jatropha yields by fertilizing crops with sewage sludge. As an included advantage, he envisages a jatropha curcas green belt covering 20,000 hectares (almost 50,000 acres) in Qatar. "The implementation of the green belt can really boost the soil and agricultural lands, and secure them against any additional wear and tear brought on by dust storms," he says.

But the Qatar task's success still hinges on numerous elements, not least the ability to obtain quality yields from the tree. Another essential step, Alherbawi discusses, is scaling up production innovation that uses the whole of the jatropha fruit to increase processing performance.

Back in Ghana, jOil is presently managing more than 1,300 hectares (1,830 acres) of jatropha, and growing a pilot plot on 300 hectares (740 acres) working with more than 400 farmers. Subramanian discusses that years of research study and development have resulted in varieties of jatropha that can now accomplish the high yields that were lacking more than a decade back.

"We had the ability to quicken the yield cycle, enhance the yield range and improve the fruit-bearing capability of the tree," Subramanian says. In essence, he specifies, the tree is now domesticated. "Our very first project is to broaden our jatropha plantation to 20,000 hectares."

Biofuels aren't the only application JOil is looking at. The fruit and its by-products could be a source of fertilizer, bio-candle wax, a charcoal alternative (essential in Africa where much wood is still burned for cooking), and even bioplastics.

But it is the transport sector that still beckons as the ideal biofuels application, according to Subramanian. "The biofuels story has as soon as again reopened with the energy transition drive for oil companies and bio-refiners - [driven by] the search for alternative fuels that would be emission friendly."

A total jatropha life-cycle assessment has yet to be finished, however he thinks that cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas emissions associated with the oily plant will be "competitive ... These 2 aspects - that it is technically suitable, and the carbon sequestration - makes it a really strong prospect for adoption for ... sustainable aviation," he states. "We think any such growth will happen, [by clarifying] the meaning of abject land, [permitting] no competition with food crops, nor in any method endangering food security of any country."

Where next for jatropha?

Whether jatropha can genuinely be carbon neutral, eco-friendly and socially responsible depends upon complex factors, including where and how it's grown - whether, for instance, its production design is based in smallholder farms versus industrial-scale plantations, say experts. Then there's the nagging problem of achieving high yields.

Earlier this year, the Bolivian federal government revealed its intent to pursue jatropha plantations in the Gran Chaco biome, part of a nationwide biofuels push that has stirred argument over prospective repercussions. The Gran Chaco's dry forest biome is currently in deep problem, having been heavily deforested by aggressive agribusiness practices.

Many past plantations in Ghana, alerts Ahmed, converted dry savanna forest, which became troublesome for carbon accounting. "The net carbon was typically negative in the majority of the jatropha sites, because the carbon sequestration of jatropha can not be compared to that of a shea tree," he discusses.

Other researchers chronicle the "potential of Jatropha curcas as an ecologically benign biodiesel feedstock" in Malaysia, Indonesia and India. But still other researchers remain uncertain of the environmental practicality of second-generation biofuels. "If Mexico promotes biofuels, such as the exploitation of jatropha, the rebound is that it possibly ends up being so successful, that we will have a great deal of associated land-use change," states Daniel Itzamna Avila-Ortega, co-founder of the Mexican Center of Industrial Ecology and a Ph.D. trainee with the Stockholm Resilience Centre; he has actually carried out research on the possibilities of jatropha contributing to a circular economy in Mexico.

Avila-Ortega mentions past land-use issues related to growth of various crops, consisting of oil palm, sugarcane and avocado: "Our law enforcement is so weak that it can not deal with the private sector doing whatever they desire, in terms of creating environmental problems."

Researchers in Mexico are presently exploring jatropha curcas-based animals feed as a low-priced and sustainable replacement for grain. Such uses might be well suited to local contexts, Avila-Ortega agrees, though he stays worried about prospective ecological expenses.

He suggests limiting jatropha expansion in Mexico to make it a "crop that conquers land," growing it just in genuinely bad soils in requirement of remediation. "Jatropha might be one of those plants that can grow in extremely sterile wastelands," he describes. "That's the only method I would ever promote it in Mexico - as part of a forest healing technique for wastelands. Otherwise, the involved issues are higher than the potential benefits."

jatropha curcas's worldwide future remains . And its possible as a tool in the battle versus environment change can only be opened, say lots of specialists, by avoiding the litany of difficulties associated with its very first boom.

Will jatropha projects that sputtered to a stop in the early 2000s be fired back up again? Subramanian thinks its role as a sustainable biofuel is "imminent" which the resurgence is on. "We have strong interest from the energy market now," he says, "to collaborate with us to develop and broaden the supply chain of jatropha."

Banner image: Jatropha curcas trees in Hawai'i. Image by Forest and Kim Starr through Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

A liquid biofuels guide: Carbon-cutting hopes vs. real-world impacts

Citations:

Wahl, N., Hildebrandt, T., Moser, C., Lüdeke-Freund, F., Averdunk, K., Bailis, R., ... Zelt, T. (2012 ). Insights into jatropha projects around the world - Key realities & figures from a worldwide study. Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM), Leuphana Universität Lüneburg. doi:10.2139/ ssrn.2254823

Romijn, H., Heijnen, S., Colthoff, J. R., De Jong, B., & Van Eijck, J. (2014 ). Economic and social sustainability efficiency of jatropha projects: Arise from field surveys in Mozambique, Tanzania and Mali. Sustainability, 6( 9 ), 6203-6235. doi:10.3390/ su6096203

Trebbin, A. (2021 ). Land grabbing and jatropha in India: An analysis of 'hyped' discourse on the subject. Land, 10( 10 ), 1063. doi:10.3390/ land10101063

Van Eijck, J., Romijn, H., Balkema, A., & Faaij, A. (2014 ). Global experience with jatropha cultivation for bioenergy: An assessment of socio-economic and ecological aspects. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 32, 869-889. doi:10.1016/ j.rser.2014.01.028

Skutsch, M., De los Rios, E., Solis, S., Riegelhaupt, E., Hinojosa, D., Gerfert, S., ... Masera, O. (2011 ). Jatropha in Mexico: ecological and social effects of an incipient biofuel program. Ecology and Society, 16( 4 ). doi:10.5751/ ES-04448-160411

Gmünder, S., Singh, R., Pfister, S., Adheloya, A., & Zah, R. (2012 ). Environmental effects of Jatropha curcas biodiesel in India. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, 2012. doi:10.1155/ 2012/623070

Ahmed, A., Jarzebski, M. P., & Gasparatos, A. (2018 ). Using the community service technique to identify whether jatropha curcas tasks were located in marginal lands in Ghana: Implications for site choice. Biomass and Bioenergy, 114, 112-124. doi:10.1016/ j.biombioe.2017.07.020

Achten, W. M., Sharma, N., Muys, B., Mathijs, E., & Vantomme, P. (2014 ). Opportunities and restrictions of promoting new tree crops - Lessons found out from jatropha curcas. Sustainability, 6( 6 ), 3213-3231. doi:10.3390/ su6063213

Alherbawi, M., McKay, G., Govindan, R., Haji, M., & Al-Ansari, T. (2022 ). An unique method on the delineation of a multipurpose energy-greenbelt to produce biofuel and fight desertification in deserts. Journal of Environmental Management, 323, 116223. doi:10.1016/ j.jenvman.2022.116223

Riayatsyah, T. M. I., Sebayang, A. H., Silitonga, A. S., Padli, Y., Fattah, I. M. R., Kusumo, F., ... Mahlia, T. M. I. (2022 ). Current progress of Jatropha curcas commoditisation as biodiesel feedstock: A comprehensive review. Frontiers in Energy Research, 9, 1019. doi:10.3389/ fenrg.2021.815416

Mokhtar, E. S., Akhir, N. M., Zaki, N. A. M., Muharam, F. M., Pradhan, B., & Lay, U. S. (2021 ). Land suitability for possible jatropha plantation in Malaysia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 620( 1 ), 012002. doi:10.1088/ 1755-1315/620/ 1/012002

Chamola, R., Kumar, N., & Jain, S. (2022 ). Jatropha: A sustainable source of transport fuel in India. In Advancement in Materials, Manufacturing and Energy Engineering, Vol. II: Select Proceedings of ICAMME 2021 (pp. 395-408). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi:10.1007/ 978-981-16-8341-1_32

Peralta, H., Avila-Ortega, D. I., & García-Flores, J. C. (2022 ). Jatropha farm: A circular economy proposition for the non-toxic physic nut crop in Mexico. Environmental Sciences Proceedings, 15( 1 ), 10. doi:10.3390/ environsciproc2022015010

Hao, M., Qian, Y., Xie, X., Chen, S., Ding, F., & Ma, T. (2022 ). Global marginal land schedule of Jatropha curcas L.-based biodiesel development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 364, 132655. doi:10.1016/ j.jclepro.2022.132655

FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. If you desire to publish a public remark, you can do that at the bottom of the page.