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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a “wonder” biofuel. An unassuming shrubby tree belonging 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 ensued, with more than 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) planted by 2008. But the bubble burst. Low yields led to plantation failures almost all over. The aftermath of the jatropha crash was polluted by accusations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon decrease claims.
Today, some scientists continue pursuing the incredibly elusive promise of high-yielding jatropha. A resurgence, they state, depends on breaking the yield problem and addressing the damaging land-use issues linked with its original failure.
The sole staying large jatropha plantation remains in Ghana. The plantation owner declares high-yield domesticated ranges have been attained and a brand-new boom is at hand. But even if this resurgence fails, the world’s experience of jatropha holds important lessons for any appealing up-and-coming biofuel.
At the start of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, a simple 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 failed.

Now, after years of research and advancement, the sole remaining big plantation focused on growing jatropha remains 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 hunting for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to commercialize it, you need to domesticate it. This is a part of the procedure that was missed [during the boom],” jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian informed Mongabay in an interview.

Having discovered from the mistakes of jatropha’s previous failures, he says the oily plant might yet play an essential function as a liquid biofuel feedstock, reducing transportation carbon emissions at the global level. A brand-new boom might bring extra advantages, with jatropha also a possible 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 discover from past errors. During the very first boom, jatropha plantations were hindered not just by poor yields, but by land grabbing, deforestation, and social problems in countries where it was planted, including Ghana, where jOil runs.

Experts also recommend that jatropha’s tale offers lessons for scientists and business owners checking out promising brand-new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.

Miracle shrub, significant bust

Jatropha’s early 21st-century appeal came from its promise 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 an ability to thrive on degraded or “marginal” lands