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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 could grow on degraded 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 almost all over. The after-effects of the jatropha crash was tainted by allegations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon reduction claims.
Today, some scientists continue pursuing the evasive guarantee of high-yielding jatropha. A resurgence, they say, is reliant on splitting the yield issue and resolving the hazardous land-use concerns linked with its initial failure.
The sole remaining large jatropha plantation remains in Ghana. The plantation owner declares high-yield domesticated varieties have been achieved and a new boom is at hand. But even if this resurgence falters, the world’s experience of jatropha holds important lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.
At the start of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, an unassuming shrub-like tree native to Central America, was planted throughout the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its guarantee 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 and development, the sole remaining big plantation focused on growing jatropha remains in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, declares the jatropha resurgence is on.

“All those companies that stopped working, embraced a plug-and-play model of searching for the wild ranges of jatropha. But to commercialize it, you require to domesticate it. This belongs of the procedure that was missed [throughout the boom],” jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian informed Mongabay in an interview.

Having gained from the errors of jatropha’s past failures, he says the oily plant might yet play a crucial function as a liquid biofuel feedstock, lowering transportation carbon emissions at the international level. A new boom could bring extra benefits, with jatropha likewise a prospective source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.

But some scientists are doubtful, keeping in mind that jatropha has actually currently gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They warn that if the plant is to reach full potential, then it is vital to gain from past errors. During the first boom, jatropha plantations were hampered not just by poor yields, however by land grabbing, logging, and social problems in nations where it was planted, including Ghana, where jOil runs.

Experts also suggest that jatropha’s tale uses lessons for researchers and entrepreneurs checking out appealing brand-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 turfs, trees and other plants not obtained from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its numerous supposed virtues was an ability to grow on degraded or “limited” lands