Download What is Jatropha? Jatropha curcas is an oil plant. The botanic name

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What is Jatropha?
Jatropha curcas is an oil plant. The botanic name Jatropha is derived
from Greek, "Jatras" meaning Doctor and "trophe," meaning
Nutrition.
Celebrity tree!
• The hardy jatropha, resilient
to pests and resistant to
drought, produces seeds with
up to 40 per cent oil content.
• When the seeds are crushed,
the resulting jatropha oil can
be burnt in a standard diesel
car, while the residue can also
be processed into biomass to
power electricity plants.
Usage
• Experts say that while
jatropha curcas seeds can be
used as fuel for any diesel
engine without modification,
they are also used in
manufacturing of varnishes,
illuminants, soap, pest control
and medicine for skin
diseases.
• Dark blue dye and wax can be
produced from the bark of the
jatropha
curcas, its stem is used as a
poor quality wood while the
leaves help in dressing
wounds and the roots produce
a yellow dye.
Where it grows.
• Jatropha grows in tropical and
subtropical climates.
• Scientists say that it can grow
in the poorest wasteland,
generating topsoil and helping
to stall erosion, but also
absorbing carbon dioxide as it
grows, thus making it carbonneutral even when burnt. A
jatropha bush can live for up
to 50 years, producing oil in
its second year of growth, and
survive up to three years of
consecutive drought.
Growing jatropha
• Jatropha oil is an important product
from the plant for meeting the
cooking and lighting needs of the
rural population, boiler fuel for
industrial purposes or as a viable
substitute for diesel.
• Substitution of firewood by plant oil
for household cooking in rural areas
will not only alleviate the problems of
deforestation but also improve the
health of rural women who are
subjected to the indoor smoke
pollution from cooking by inefficient
fuel and stoves in poorly ventilated
space.
• Jatropha oil performs very
satisfactorily when burnt using a
conventional (paraffin) wick after
some simple design changes in the
physical configuration of the lamp.
Jatropha as Biodiesel Feedstock
• Jatropha is adapted to a wide
range of climates and soils.
• It can grow almost on any
type of soil whether gravelly,
sandy or saline and thrives
even on the poorest stony
soils and rock crevices.
• It is a drought resistant
perennial capable of
producing oil bearing nuts of
sufficient quality for biodiesel
production for up to 30 years.
Local advantages
• Jatropha plant and seeds are
toxic, they are not eaten by
goats or other animals.
• This means that a hedge of
Jatropha plants keeps the
cattle outside the fields where
food crops are grown.
• Furthermore Jatropha plants
can provide shadow in harsh
conditions, allowing more
delicate crops to be grown in
between grown between..
• Growing, harvesting and
processing of Jatropha offers a
lot of local labour.
• Another advantage is the
useful application of the
remaining press cake in local
communities.
Characteristics.
•
•
•
The tree grows up to a height of 4
meters, allowing for easy manual
harvesting.
Generally Jatropha will give 2
harvests per year but depending
on the variety and climate can
produce up to 3 full harvest a
year. It takes two years for
'Jatropha' saplings to begin
producing seeds, and they are
able to continue producing seeds
at least twice a year for 30 years
providing at least 60 harvests
over its productive lifetime.
The seeds are crushed or pressed
to extract raw oil, Jatropha seeds
are typically composed of about
35% oil ready to be processed
into biodiesel.
Productivity
•
•
Experts say the annual yield per
hectare is up to 8 tonnes of Jatropha
seed, which contain over 30 per cent
oil. At $320 per tonne, this will
translate into production of jatropha
crude oil worth $768 per hectare
per year.
Of potentially equal or greater value
is the yield from jatropha seeds of
glycerin. Up to 7 per cent of jatropha
seeds are made up of glycerin,
which sells for up to $2,000 per
tonne, translating into glycerin sales
of up to $1,120 per year per
hectare, or total sales of up to
$1,888 per
year per hectare, experts say.
Refinery alternatives.
• The non-edible vegetable oil
of Jatropha curcas has the
requisite potential of
providing a promising and
commercially viable
alternative to diesel oil since
it has desirable
physiochemical and
performance characteristics
comparable to diesel.
• Cars could be run with
Jatropha curcas without
requiring much change in
design.
Reduce poverty now!
• Plants species like Jatropha that
can grow on lands not usually
attractive for agriculture and
supply raw material for industry,
fuels for basic energy services
and improve environment are
therefore an obvious choice that
needs to be assessed carefully
and comprehensively.