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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a “wonder” biofuel. An unassuming shrubby tree native to Central America, it was extremely promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that could grow on abject lands across 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 resulted in plantation failures almost all over. The aftermath of the jatropha crash was polluted by accusations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon reduction claims.
Today, some researchers continue pursuing the evasive promise of high-yielding jatropha. A return, they state, is dependent on cracking the yield issue and resolving the hazardous land-use concerns intertwined with its initial failure.
The sole remaining large jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner declares high-yield domesticated ranges have actually been accomplished 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 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 promise as a sustainable source of biofuel that could be grown on deteriorated, unfertile lands so as not to displace food crops. But inflated claims of high yields fell flat.

Now, after years of research study and advancement, 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 business that stopped working, adopted a plug-and-play design of hunting for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to commercialize it, you require to domesticate it. This is a part of the process that was missed [throughout the boom],” jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian told Mongabay in an interview.

Having gained from the errors of jatropha’s past failures, he says the oily plant could yet play a crucial function as a liquid biofuel feedstock, minimizing transport carbon emissions at the global level. A brand-new boom could bring fringe benefits, with jatropha likewise a possible source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.

But some researchers are skeptical, noting that jatropha has actually currently gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They warn that if the plant is to reach complete capacity, then it is vital to learn from past mistakes. During the first boom, jatropha plantations were hindered not just by poor yields, but by land grabbing, logging, and social problems in countries where it was planted, consisting of Ghana, where jOil operates.

Experts likewise recommend that jatropha’s tale provides lessons for researchers and entrepreneurs checking out promising brand-new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.

Miracle shrub, major bust

Jatropha’s early 21st-century appeal came from its pledge as a “second-generation” biofuel, which are sourced from turfs, trees and other plants not stemmed from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its several purported virtues was a capability to thrive on degraded or “limited” lands