Jatropha Curcas is a deciduous shrub native to Mexico. The plant has become naturalized in many tropical and subtropical areas, including India, Africa, and North America. The hardy small trees are resistant to drought and pests and bear fruits with seeds containing up to forty percent oil. After crushing and processing, the resulting oil can be used in a standard diesel engine. The residue from jatropha can be processed into biomass to power electricity plants.

Efforts to find sustainable, renewable sources of energy are growing and at the center of that trend is the switch from fossil fuels to crop-based biofuels. However, not all biofuels are created equal. While corn-derived ethanol is among the least efficient, most environmentally damaging, and overall least sustainable biofuel feedstock, jatropha in comparison earns green credentials and can be grown on marginal land without replacing food crops.

In terms of land use, energy input, production costs and by-products, Jatropha is the most efficient and sustainable non-food biodiesel crop. Given its specific characteristics, we believe that Jatropha is one of the best candidates for future biodiesel production and will become the plant of choice for responsible biofuel production.

Generally, jatropha has many social and practical advantages over other biodiesel crops.

Social advantages of jatropha:

• Does not compete with food production as corn or sugar cane
• Can be grown on marginal lands with limited precipitation
• Allows for the utilization of previously unutilized lands
• Can create jobs in underdeveloped regions
• The obtained biofuel is competitive on the global market
• Can improve the physical and chemical quality of land

Practical advantages of jatropha:

• Can adapt to salty and poor soils and prevent desertification
• Grows fast and can be classified as a forestation plant
• Can resist high temperatures and prolonged periods of drought
• Enables production from seed in four months time
• Can bear up to four seeds per fruit
• Diesel engines do not require modification for use
• Can be mixed in any proportion with fossil oils
• Guarantees a sustained supply most of the year
• Is well suited for intercropping, especially during the first years while the trees ares still small
• Has pesticidal and fungicidal properties
• Qualifies for reforestation programmes
• Long life expectancy of more than 45 years

Fuel characteristics and advantages:

Jatropha yields a high quality oil which is well suited for use in the transport and energy sector.

The specific fuel properties outperform most other oil seeds and make it highly suitable for unmodified diesel engines and combined heat and power plants. Jatropha oil is renewable and biodegradable and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90% and sulphur dioxide emissions by 100%. The oil yield per ha is among the highest for any tree-borne oil seeds. Jatropha trees have their first harvest within the 1st year of planting, taking approx. 3 years to reach maturity and are productive for at least 25 years.

The combination of available land, inexpensive labor, optimal agro-climatic conditions and genetically enhanced high yielding oil jatropha plants provides a competitive edge for the efficient and sustainable production of jatropha crude oil with at least 25% lower prices than alternative biofuels and even fossil fuels.