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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a “miracle” biofuel. An unassuming shrubby tree belonging to Central America, it was extremely promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that might grow on degraded lands across Latin America, Africa and Asia.
A jatropha rush occurred, with more than 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) planted by 2008. But the bubble burst. Low yields caused plantation failures almost everywhere. The aftermath of the jatropha crash was tainted by allegations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon reduction claims.
Today, some scientists continue pursuing the evasive pledge of high-yielding jatropha. A resurgence, they state, depends on splitting the yield problem and resolving the damaging land-use issues linked with its original failure.
The sole remaining large jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner declares high-yield domesticated varieties have been attained and a brand-new boom is at hand. But even if this return fails, the world’s experience of jatropha holds crucial lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, a simple shrub-like tree native to Central America, was planted across the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its guarantee as a sustainable source of biofuel that could be grown on broken down, unfertile lands so as not to displace food crops. But inflated claims of high yields fell flat.

Now, after years of research study and development, the sole staying big plantation concentrated 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, adopted a plug-and-play model of scouting for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to advertise it, you need to domesticate it. This is a part of the process that was missed [during the boom],” jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian told Mongabay in an interview.

Having gained from the errors of jatropha’s past failures, he states the oily plant could yet play a crucial role as a liquid biofuel feedstock, lowering transport carbon emissions at the worldwide level. A brand-new boom might bring extra advantages, with jatropha likewise a potential source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.

But some scientists are doubtful, noting that jatropha curcas has actually already gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They warn that if the plant is to reach full capacity, then it is vital to gain from past errors. During the very first boom, jatropha plantations were obstructed not just by bad yields, but by land grabbing, logging, and social issues in nations where it was planted, including Ghana, where jOil operates.

Experts likewise suggest that jatropha’s tale provides lessons for researchers and entrepreneurs checking out appealing brand-new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.

Miracle shrub, major bust

Jatropha’s early 21st-century appeal stemmed from its promise as a “second-generation” biofuel, which are sourced from yards, trees and other plants not stemmed from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its numerous supposed virtues was a capability to prosper on abject or “minimal” lands