A plant till recently thought of as a poisonous plant with very little use to us, has now become an excellent source of biofuel. Jatropha, long considered as an ugly poisonous weed, with some medical use as a remedy for constipation, may soon provide fuel for your car.
The plant is rugged and hardy, it lives for 50 years and begins producing seeds in its second year of growth. Jatropha puts in its roots in nearly every terrain, can be an excellent check on soil erosion and it nourishes the top soil as it grows. Since the plant absorbs carbon dioxide during its growth, it is carbon neutral when used as a fuel. Jatropha plant is resilient to pests and drought; though it needs 600mm of rain for good growth, the plant can survive nearly three years of continuous drought by shedding its leaves.
Seeds of the plant are a treasure house, for they contain nearly 40% oil. When the seeds are crushed, the oil can be used to run a standard diesel engine and the residue can be processed to biomass for generating electricity.
Looking at all its benefits, it appears the devil has suddenly changed into an angel. But that’s not all; the tropical plant will be an excellent cash crop for the farmers and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels considerably. Phew!
Jatropha is beating the competition from other sources of biofuel. It produces four times more fuel per hectare as compared to soya and almost 10 times as compared to corn. No wonder treasure hunters from around the globe are rushing to Jatropha plantation. India has already begun implementation of its plan of bringing nearly 11 million hectares of land into Jatropha cultivation, BP and D1 will invest nearly £80 million in Jatropha cultivation over the next five years with plantations in India, Africa and South-East Asia.
The first Jatropha fuelled power station will begin supplying electricity in Swaziland in about three years. D1 oils and India are currently leading the Jatropha revolution but China isn’t far behind. China will bring nearly 80,000 hectares of land under Jatropha cultivation. Elliot Mannis, the Chief Executive of D1 oils says that the aim is to develop energy
From the earth to the engine.
This is not a perfect world and the coin always has a second side. Despite all its advantages, jatropha remains a poisonous plant. Its sap is a skin irritant and ingesting three untreated seeds can kill a person. Western Australia recently banned the plant for being invasive and toxic. The story does not end here, as larger areas are brought into jatropha cultivation, strong emphasis by farmers on this cash crop may reduce cultivation of food crops and increase the risk of a famine.
Jatropha, a native plant of Central America, was introduced to Europe in the 16th century by Portuguese explorers. Eventually, the plant spread throughout the world but never established itself as a useful one. The stress on biofuels has brought this plant out of the blue and made it a celebrity.
[Images: Jatrophabiodiesel]
[Via: Timesonline.uk]
