Jatropha

Jatropha is a tough woody plant that can grow in arid conditions unsuitable for most food crops. Its seeds are poisonous and produce oil that's unfit for human consumption but can be converted to biodiesel fuel.

In 2007 Goldman Sachs cited Jatropha curcas as one of the best candidates for future biodiesel production^[1]. It is resistant to drought and pests, and produces seeds containing 27-40% oil,^[2] averaging 34.4%.^[3] Currently the oil from Jatropha curcasseeds is used for making biodiesel fuel in Philippines and in Brazil, where it grows naturally and in plantations in the Southeast, and the North/Northeast Brazil. Likewise, jatropha oil is being promoted as an easily grown biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India and other developing countries.^[4][5]

Estimates of Jatropha seed yield vary widely, due to a lack of research data, the genetic diversity of the crop, the range of environments in which it is grown, and Jatropha's perennial life cycle. Seed yields under cultivation can range from 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms per hectare, corresponding to extractable oil yields of 540 to 680 litres per hectare (58 to 73 US gallons per acre).^[6] Time Magazine recently cited the potential for as much as 1,600 gallons of diesel fuel per acre per year.^[7]

On Dec. 30, 2008 Air New Zealand successfully completed a test flight from Auckland using a 50/50 mixture of jatropha oil-derived biofuel and Jet A1 in one of the four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines of a 747 jumbo jet.^[8] Air New Zealand announced plans to use the new fuel for 10% of its needs by 2013. At the time of this test, jatropha was significantly 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.^[9] However, the falling cost of oil has since changed the dynamic, with crude oil trading in the $34–$48 range per barrel between December 2008, and February 2009.^[10]

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.

References:

1. Patrick Barta. Jatropha Plant Gains Steam in Global Race for Biofuels. The Wall Street Journal (New York, NY) August 24, 2007.
2. Achten WMJ, Mathijs E, Verchot L, Singh VP, Aerts R, Muys B 2007. Jatropha biodiesel fueling sustainability? Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining 1(4), 283-291, The Jatropha Archives.
3. Achten WMJ, Verchot L, Franken YJ, Mathijs E, Singh VP, Aerts R, Muys B 2008. Jatropha bio-diesel production and use (a literature review). Biomass and Bioenergy 32(12), 1063-1084. The Jatropha Archives.
4. World Agroforestry Centre (2007) When oil grows on trees.
5. World Agroforestry Centre
6. Dar, William D. Research needed to cut risks to biofuel farmers. Science and Development Network December 6, 2007.
7. Tim Padgett. "The Next Big Biofuel?". Time Magazine February 6, 2009.
8. Air New Zealand jatropha flight, update 4. www.enviro.aero. December 31, 2008.
9. Ray, Lilley. NZ Airline Flies Jetliner Partly Run on Veggie Oil. www.latimes.com. January 22, 2011.
10. Latest Trading Prices and Data from CNNMoney.com. www.cnnmoney.com. February 20, 2009.