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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a “wonder” biofuel. An unassuming shrubby tree native to Central America, it was hugely promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that might grow on abject lands throughout 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 led to plantation failures nearly all over. The consequences of the jatropha crash was tainted by accusations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon reduction claims.
Today, some scientists continue pursuing the evasive guarantee of high-yielding jatropha. A return, they state, is dependent on breaking the yield problem and resolving the damaging land-use problems intertwined with its initial failure.
The sole staying big jatropha plantation remains in Ghana. The plantation owner claims high-yield domesticated varieties have actually been accomplished and a brand-new boom is at hand. But even if this resurgence fails, the world’s experience of jatropha holds crucial lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.
At the beginning 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 pledge as a sustainable source of biofuel that might 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 development, the sole staying big plantation focused on growing jatropha is in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, declares the jatropha comeback is on.

“All those business that stopped working, embraced a plug-and-play design of searching for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to advertise it, you need to domesticate it. This belongs of the process that was missed out on [during the boom],” jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian informed Mongabay in an interview.

Having learned from the errors of jatropha’s previous failures, he says the oily plant could yet play an essential role as a liquid biofuel feedstock, minimizing transportation carbon emissions at the global level. A brand-new boom could bring extra advantages, with jatropha also a prospective source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.

But some scientists are doubtful, noting that jatropha has actually currently gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They warn that if the plant is to reach complete potential, then it is important to gain from previous mistakes. During the first boom, jatropha plantations were obstructed not just by poor yields, but by land grabbing, logging, and social problems in countries where it was planted, consisting of Ghana, where jOil runs.

Experts likewise recommend that jatropha’s tale provides lessons for researchers and entrepreneurs exploring appealing 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 yards, trees and other plants not obtained from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its numerous purported virtues was a capability to grow on abject or “minimal” lands