Chaco When jatropha seeds are crushed, the resulting jatropha oil can be processed to produce a high-quality
biofuel or
biodiesel that can be used in a standard diesel car or further processed into jet fuel, while the residue (
press cake) can also be used as biomass feedstock to power electricity plants, or used as fertilizer (it contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). The cake can also be used as feed in
digesters and gasifiers to produce
biogas. There are several forms of biofuel, often manufactured using
sedimentation,
centrifugation, and
filtration. The fats and oils are turned into esters while separating the
glycerin. At the end of the process, the glycerin settles and the biofuel floats. The process through which the glycerin is separated from the biodiesel is known as
transesterification. Glycerin is another by-product from Jatropha oil processing that can add value to the crop. Transesterification is a simple chemical reaction that neutralizes the free fatty acids present in any fatty substances in Jatropha. A chemical exchange takes place between the
alkoxy groups of an ester compound by an alcohol. Usually,
methanol and
ethanol are used for the purpose. The reaction occurs by the presence of a
catalyst, usually sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or caustic soda and potassium hydroxide (KOH), which forms fatty esters (e.g., methyl or ethyl esters), commonly known as
biodiesel. It takes approximately 10% of methyl alcohol by weight of the fatty substance to start the transesterification process. In 2009
Time magazine cited the potential for as much as 1,600 gallons of diesel fuel per acre per year. The plant may yield more than four times as much fuel per
hectare as
soybean, and more than ten times that of
maize (corn), but at the same time it requires five times as much water per unit of energy produced as does corn (see below). A hectare of jatropha has been claimed to produce 1,892 litres of fuel. However, as it has not yet been domesticated or improved by plant breeders, yields are variable.
Jatropha can also be
intercropped with other cash crops such as coffee, sugar, fruits and vegetables. However, despite its abundance and use as an oil and
reclamation plant, none of the
Jatropha species has been properly
domesticated and, as a result, its productivity is variable, and the long-term impact of its large-scale use on
soil quality and the environment is unknown. In 2008 researchers at Daimler Chrysler Research explored the use of jatropha oil for automotive use, concluding that although jatropha oil as fuel "has not yet reached optimal quality, ... it already fulfills the EU norm for biodiesel quality".
Archer Daniels Midland Company,
Bayer CropScience and
Daimler AG have a joint project to develop jatropha as a biofuel. Three Mercedes cars powered by Jatropha diesel have already put some 30,000 kilometres behind them. The project is supported by
DaimlerChrysler and by the German Association for Investment and Development (Deutschen Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, DEG).
Jet fuel Aviation fuels may be more widely replaced by biofuels such as jatropha oil than fuels for other forms of transportation. There are fewer planes than cars or trucks and far fewer jet fueling stations to convert than gas stations. To fulfil the yearly demand for aviation fuel, based on demand in 2008 (fuel use has since grown), an area of farmland twice the size of France would need to be planted with jatropha, based on average yields of mature plantations on reasonably good, irrigated land. On December 30, 2008,
Air New Zealand flew the first successful test flight from
Auckland with a
Boeing 747 running one of its four
Rolls-Royce engines on a 50:50 blend of jatropha oil and
jet A-1 fuel. In the same press release, Air New Zealand announced plans to use the new fuel for 10% of its needs by 2013. At the time of this test, jatropha oil was much cheaper than crude oil, costing an estimated $43 a barrel or about one-third of the June 4, 2008 closing price of $122.30 for a
barrel of
crude oil. On January 7, 2009 Continental Airlines successfully completed a test flight from Houston, Texas using a 50/50 mixture of algae/jatropha-oil-derived biofuel and Jet A in one of the two CFM56 engines of a Boeing 737-800 Next Generation jet. The two-hour test flight could mark another promising step for the airline industry to find cheaper and more
environmentally friendly alternatives to
fossil fuel. On April 1, 2011
Interjet completed the first Mexican aviation biofuels test flight on an
Airbus A320. The fuel was a 70:30 traditional jet fuel biojet blend produced from Jatropha oil provided by three Mexican producers, Global Energías Renovables (a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S.-based
Global Clean Energy Holdings), Bencafser S.A. and Energy JH S.A. Honeywell's UOP processed the oil into Bio-SPK (Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene). Global Energías Renovables operates the largest Jatropha farm in the Americas. On August 27, 2018
SpiceJet completed the first successful test flight by an Indian airline which used jatropha based biofuel. The ratio of conventional jet fuel to jatropha oil was 25:75.
Carbon dioxide sequestration According to a 2013 study published by the
European Geosciences Union, the jatropha tree may have applications in the absorption of carbon dioxide, whose sequestration is important in
combating climate change. This small tree is very resistant to aridity so it can be planted in hot and dry land in soil unsuitable for food production. The plant does need water to grow though, so coastal areas where desalinated seawater can be made available are ideal.
Use in developing world Currently the oil from
Jatropha curcas seeds is used for making
biodiesel fuel in
Philippines,
Pakistan and in
Brazil, where it grows naturally and in plantations in the southeast, north, and northeast of Brazil. In the
Gran Chaco of
Paraguay, where a native variety (
Jatropha matacensis) also grows, studies have shown the suitability of Jatropha cultivation and agro producers are starting to consider planting in the region. In Africa, cultivation of
jatropha is being promoted and it is grown successfully in countries such as
Mali.
India Jatropha oil is being promoted as an easily grown biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India. Large plantings and nurseries have been undertaken in India by many research institutions, and by women's
self-help groups who use a system of
microcredit to ease poverty among semiliterate Indian women. The
railway line between
Mumbai and
Delhi is planted with
jatropha and the train itself runs on 15–20%
biodiesel. 200,000 to 400,000
hectares were planted with up to 3 million hectares in planned expansion. Farmers were forced to purchase jatropha seeds and plant them for later harvest, non-compliance was punishable by
imprisonment. The military
dictatorship also seized some landholdings and used
forced labor to farm the plant. The initiative lacked the critical infrastructure to support it and exacerbated food insecurity issues by displacing land dedicated to addressing food availability. It was also explored for its
cytotoxicity for cancer treatment and
tumor promotion as a
fertilizer.
Controversies As of 2011 scepticism about the "miracle" properties of
Jatropha has been voiced. For example: "The idea that jatropha can be grown on marginal land is a
red herring", according to Harry Stourton, former business development director of UK-based Sun Biofuels, which attempted to cultivate
Jatropha in Mozambique and Tanzania. "It does grow on marginal land, but if you use marginal land you'll get marginal yields," he said. Sun Biofuels, after failing to adequately compensate local farmers for the land acquired for their plantation in Tanzania, pay workers severance, or deliver promised supplies to local villagers, went bankrupt later in 2011, the villager farmland being sold to an offshore investment fund. An August 2010 article warned about the actual utility and potential dangers of reliance on
Jatropha in Kenya. Major concerns included its invasiveness, which could disrupt local biodiversity, as well as damage to water catchment areas.
Jatropha curcas is lauded as being sustainable, and that its production would not compete with food production, but the jatropha plant needs water like every other crop to grow. This could create competition for water between the jatropha and other edible food crops. In fact, jatropha requires five times more water per unit of energy than sugarcane and corn. ==Food for human consumption==