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JATROPHA CURCAS L

REPORT

www.biozio.com

Santa Rosa de Cabal. Noviembre de 2011

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Introduction to the Biofuel Industry

Jatropha curcas is a non-edible, succulent shrub from the Euphorbiaceae family.

The plant originates from Central America and East Africa and is known today in

many countries throughout the tropics as a source of biodiesel.

Jatropha has been used in many regions of the world by the locals. As the shrub is

inedible to animals, Jatropha plants were traditionally used as living fences to

prevent animals from grazing the fields. The oil was also traditionally used in

villages of countries such as India to light lamps.

The Jatropha plant started gaining the attention of the world from the start of this

century, as scientists, businesses and entrepreneurs began looking for alternative

sources of energy and biofuels. Jatropha, being a non-food crop with distinct

advantages such as adaptability to a wide range of climates & soils, drought &

pest/insect resistance, high productivity and oil yields, quickly emerged as a crop

with high potential for bio-energy feedstock. Since 2005, worldwide investment in

Jatropha research & cultivation has accelerated tremendously, and by 2008,

organized Jatropha cultivations have been reported in over 25 countries.

Economic Importance of Different Plant-Parts of Jatropha

All parts of the plant exude sticky, astringent latex that dries to a reddish-brown

brittle substance resembling shellac which can be used as marking ink. The latex

has different alkaloids like Jatrophine, Jatropham, Jatrophone, and Curcuine that

are anti-cancerous.

Bark - The bark contains tannins, wax, resins, saponins, reducing sugar and

traces of volatile oil. A decoction of the bark is given for rheumatism and

leprosy. The root bark is used in external application for sores.

Twigs - Tender twigs are used for cleaning teeth.

Leaves - The leaf juice is used to relieve toothache, strengthen gums and

also as an external application for piles. Leaves are used for treatment of

malaria. Decoction of leaves and root is given for diarrhea.

Seeds - Oil from the seeds of jatropha contain mainly oleic, linoleic and

palmitic acids as constituent fatty acids and the oil is non-edible due to the

presence of a toxic substance „curcascine‟, and anti-nutritional factors like

phorbol esters. Conventionally, the seed-oil is used as an illuminant,

lubricant, soap and for candle making. The seed cake contains toxic

elements but is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, and can be used as manure.

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The oil and the sediment are used for soap production and the press cake as a

good organic fertilizer.

The oil also contains an insecticide.

The oil can be used as fuel in pre-combustion chamber diesel engines and as

lubricant.

Jatropha has great commercial value as an oil crop mainly because its seed-

oil has immense potential for exploitation as a source for biodiesel. The

seeds contain 35-40% oil that can be converted into biodiesel by trans-

esterification. Jatropha biodiesel can be used for burning in internal

combustion engines. Use of biodiesel reduces atmospheric pollution and

substantially helps in controlling the Greenhouse effect.

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Properties of Jatropha

Jatropha curcas is a large coarse annual shrub which can grow 3.5 to 4.5 meters

tall. It has thin, often greenish bark which exudes copious amounts of watery sap

when cut. The Jatropha plant is an easy-to-grow plant that can be cultivated

through cutting propagation. The plant requires 400 mm of rainfall annually. There

is no specific soil requirement. Hence, the plant can grow just anywhere, even in

deserts! The time taken for a Jatropha plant to produce seeds depends on the

method of cultivation. If the plant is grown from seeds, it would take 2 years to

produce seeds. But if the plant is cultivated from cuttings, it would take just a

year.

Jatropha seeds have a high oil content of 35-40% of their weight. The kernels have

50-60% oil. The seeds are believed to contain toxic chemicals. Hence, they are

unfit for human consumption. Jatropha Oil has a high cetane number of 51. The

energy content is 39.7.

Chemical Properties of Jatropha

Moisture 6.62%

Protein 18.2%

Fat 38.0%

Carbohydrates 17.30%

Fibre 15.50%

Ash 4.5%

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Characteristics of Jatropha

Jatropha seed is toxic in nature and it contains purgative oil and a phytotoxin /

toxalbumin (curcin) similar to ricin in Ricinus.

Main Toxins in Jatropha

Curcin, a phytotoxin (toxalbumin), is found mainly in the seeds and also in the

fruit and sap.

The oil contains small amounts of an irritant curcanoleic acid, which is related to

ricinoleic acid and crotonoleic acid, the principle active ingredients of castor oil

and croton oil respectively (Joubert et al., 1984).

Other Toxins: There may be an alkaloid, and a glycoside, in jatropha, which

produce cardiovascular and respiratory depression. Tetramethylpyrazine (TMPZ),

an amide alkaloid has been obtained from the stem of Jatropha podagrica (Ojewole

& Odebiyi, 1981). Atropine-like effects have also been reported following

ingestion of Jatropha multifida (Aplin 1976).

Effects of Seed Toxicity

Due to several different toxic principles, neither the seeds nor the press cake nor

the oil of Jatropha curcas can be used for human or animal nutrition.

Jatropha curcas nut poisoning in humans after accidental consumption of the seeds

have been recorded and shows symptoms such as giddiness, vomiting and diarrhea,

nausea, gastrointestinal irritation have been reported. The consumption of raw

seeds is considered to produce cramps and uneasy feelings in stomach.

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Extracting Jatropha Oil

Extraction of oil from Jatropha seeds is done in a manner similar to that for most

other oil seeds. The ripe seeds are allowed to dry, when they split open and

discharge the seeds.

The seeds are dehulled after harvesting. Dehulling can be done by hand

(laborious) or, more commonly, by machine. Small-scale hand-operated dehullers

are also available. The dehulled seeds are cleaned, cooked and dried prior to oil

extraction. Cooking is done to coagulate protein (necessary to permit efficient

extraction), and for efficient pressing.

The first stage of oil extraction is pre-pressing, normally using a high pressure

continuous screw press – called the expeller. Extracted oil is filtered, and the

material removed from the oil is fed back into the stream along with fresh material.

Material finally discharged from the press, called Jatropha cake, contains 8-10%

oil. It is crushed into a coarse meal, and subjected to solvent extraction with

heptane to extract further oil.

Jatropha oil extraction can be divided into two main stages:

1. Pre-extraction.

2. Extraction.

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Pre-extraction of Jatropha Oil

Seed Cleaning

The Jatropha beans have some foreign materials and dirt that get separated by hand

picking. The seed cleaner pictured below is a basic type of seed cleaner for

efficient cleaning of seeds.

Drying, Heating & Conditioning

The cleaned beans are sun dried in the open, until the casing splits and sheds the

seeds. The beans are further dried in the oven at 60°C for seven hours to a constant

weight in order to reduce their moisture content, which initially would have been

about 5 to 7%. Pre-heating or drying the seeds prior to expelling also improves the

release of the oil by breaking the cell walls and by thinning the oil.

Shelling / Dehulling & Winnowing

Most oil-bearing seeds need to be separated from their outer husk or shell. This

process is referred to as shelling, dehulling or decorticating. Shelling increases the

oil extraction efficiency and reduces wear in the expeller as the husks are abrasive.

In general, some 10% of husk is added back prior to expelling as the fibre allows

the machine to grip or bite on the material.

After dehulling, the shell may have to be collected separately from the kernels by

winnowing. At small scale this can be done by throwing the material into the air

and allowing the air to blow away the husk. At larger scales mechanical winnowers

are available.

Milling & Grinding

Milling: Milling is carried out to reduce the size of particles and improve the

efficiencies of extracting oil.

Grinding: Mortar and pestle are normally used to crush/grind the beans into paste

(cake). This process weakens or ruptures the cell walls for oil extraction.

Extraction of Oil from Jatropha Seed

The cleaned and prepared Jatropha seeds are sent for extraction. Oil extraction is

done usually in two stages.

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1. The first stage employs pressing the seeds for oil – this stage is also called

expelling.

2. The second stage uses a solvent extraction method to extract the remaining

oil.

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Pressing / Expelling

New methods of oil expelling use presses to extract the oil from the seed.

Small presses like the Bielenberg ram press can be powered by hand, by one or

several operators. Capacity is then typically 1-10 kg/h of seeds.

Larger capacity presses, especially the screw presses, are powered by engines.

The strainer type press has its oil output in the form of strainers. The strainers are

built up in the form of bars, and their inter-spacings (gaps) are adjustable. The

whole press tube mostly consists of the strainer. The diameter of the screw

increases over the length to get a rising compression of the seed. Sections with

changing diameter can be found several times on the screw. During the flow of the

seed through the press, the oil is drained via the strainer, which surrounds the

pressing space. The choke size can be adjusted to press the seed harder. With some

types of strainer presses it is possible to change segments at the worm screw in

order to change the compression of the seed. Other manufacturers offer extra

screws. In addition the choke size and the rotation speed should be adjusted when

pressing different kinds of seed. Strainer presses exist in a wide capacity range

from approximately 15 to 2000 kg/h of seed. The press cake comes out of the

choke formed as flat plates.

Solvent Extraction

Solvent extraction is a process that is used to recover a component from either a

solid or liquid. In this process, the material in which the component of interest is

present is contacted with a solvent that will dissolve the solutes of interest. Solvent

extraction is of major commercial importance to the chemical and biochemical

industries, as it is often the most efficient method of separation of valuable

products from complex feedstock or reaction products.

In the case of Jatropha oil extraction, the solvent extraction stage comes after the

expeller stage. The crushed Jatropha seeds that come from the expeller are mixed

with a solvent in a commercial extractor. Solvents used for extraction include

heptane, hexane and petroleum ethers.

The Jatropha oil dissolves in the solvent, and the pulp is filtered out from the

solution. The oil and solvent are separated by means of fractional distillation.

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Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture into its component parts by

heating them to a temperature at which several fractions of the compound will

evaporate.

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Filtration & Purification of Jatropha Oil

Before technical use, the oil should be cleaned of all particles > 5 μm. After

extraction from seed, Jatropha oil contains 1-13% solids by weight. These solids

need to be separated from oil. The filtration stage of Jatropha oil achieves this

objective.

The solids can be separated from the oil by means of sedimentation, filtration or

centrifugation, or by a combination of these processes.

Jatropha oil filtration process could comprise one or more of the following steps:

Filtration.

Clarification.

Sedimentation. Centrifugation.

Filtration can be achieved by allowing the oil to stand and then filtering the clear

oil by gravity through fine cloth. A better but more expensive method is pumping

the crude oil through a filter press.

The basic principle of filtration is blocking any particle in the oil against a

membrane. The easiest way of filtering is using a cloth.

Using filter cloth in homemade devices can give very good filtering results. As the

filtering processes are not pressurized, purification is very good though speed is

low. For home users and small factories (up to some liters per hour) this can be an

attractive low-cost option as the process can run unattended without purchasing

special hardware. It is recommended to sediment the oil for some days before

filtering to avoid short changing interval of the filter cloth.

While filtering using a filter cloth is a fairly simple and cost-effective method, it

might not be suitable for large-scale producers.

The professional and organized sector in the jatropha oil industry today uses filters

that are more automated. These are called filter presses.

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Filter Press

Filter presses are separation devices used for solid or liquid separation. These work

on feed pressure or squeeze pressure to filter solid content in a product.

The filter presses also use filter cloth for the filtering process, but they are far more

mechanized than manual filtering using filter cloth alone.

The professional and large-scale oil processors use more efficient methods - filter

presses using plate or leaf filters.

Plate Filter Presses

Plate filter presses are the most widespread types of filter presses used despite their

relatively high investment cost.

A filter comprises a set of vertical, juxtaposed recessed plates, presses against

each other by hydraulic jacks at one end of the set. The pressure applied to the joint

face of each filtering plate must withstand the chamber internal pressure developed

by the oil pumping system.

This vertical plate layout forms watertight filtration chambers allowing easy

mechanization for the discharge of solids. Filter clothes finely or tightly meshed

are applied to the two grooved surfaces in these plates.

Orifices feed the crude oil to be filtered under pressure in the filtration chamber.

They are usually placed in the center of the plates allowing a proper distribution of

flow, right pressure and better drainage of oil within the chamber. Solids gradually

accumulate in the filtration chamber. The filtrate is collected at the back of the

filtration support and carried away by internal ducts.

Plate filters are flexible and can be extended by adding more frames for bigger

capacities. Filtered cake discharging can be manual or automatic.

Features of Filter Presses

Capacity

The widely used filter press has a capacity of filtering oil from 1 ton to 50 tons a

day.

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Pump

Special plunger pump is used for transfer of oil from storage tank to filter press.

Filter Cloth

Filter cloth includes special polyester filter cloth which does a fine filtration of oil.

Plates

Adjustable plates are used so that filter cloth can be cleaned easily.

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Clarification of the Oil

Filtering will remove insoluble contaminants such as fibre but the remaining oil

will also contain moisture, resins and colorants from the seed. Clarification is a

relatively simple method of removing these unwanted elements and can be done by

letting the oil stand undisturbed for a few days and then separating the upper layer,

or by using a clarifier in which the oil is held in a tank with a heat source.

The oil is boiled to drive off water and to destroy naturally occurring enzymes and

contaminating bacteria. After heating, the oil is allowed to stand and the

contaminants separate out. The oil is filtered through a cloth and is reheated to

ensure that all the moisture has been removed.

Getting Clean Jatropha Oil

Sedimentation

Sedimentation is a simple and cheap way of cleaning by using the earth‟s gravity:

at the end of the sedimentation process, the solids settle at the bottom of the tank. It

is a cheap cleaning method because no hardware has to be purchased, only a

storage tank large enough to keep the oil about a week with little or no flow.

This process is however only recommended for small processing capacities of

about one ton of seed per day.

Centrifugation

Centrifugation is a process that involves the use of the centrifugal force for the

separation of mixtures. More-dense components of the mixture migrate away from

the axis of the centrifuge, while less-dense components of the mixture migrate

towards the axis.

Centrifugation is a much faster method for particle separation than sedimentation.

It must be noted however that centrifugation hardware is relatively expensive for

small scale processors.

At the end of the above steps in the filtration process, the Jatropha oil is ready for

refining.

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Refining the Pure Oil

Filtered Jatropha Oil à De-gumming à Neutralization à Dewaxing à Bleaching &

Deodorizing.

The main aim of refining is to remove impurities such as colloidal matter, free fatty

acid, coloring and other undesirable constituents, thus making the oil more

resistant to deterioration during storage. The general method of refining used for

edible oils is applicable to Jatropha oil.

The main processes involved in Jatropha oil refining are:

Degumming.

Neutralization.

Dewaxing.

Bleaching & Deodorizing.

The bleaching and deodorizing steps are optional when the oil is used to produce

biodiesel.

Degumming

Gums in edible vegetable oil must be removed to avoid color and taste reversion

during subsequent refining steps. The removal of phospholipids (referred to as

„degumming‟) is the first step in the process of refining Jatropha oil.

The process usually involves a single-stage phosphoric acid treatment and a single-

stage hot water treatment, followed by continuous removal of the hydrated gums in

a de-gumming centrifuge.

Neutralization

Neutralization is a reaction between acids and bases to produce salts.

All crude vegetable oils prepared for human consumption are neutralized to

remove free fatty acids and latex-like matter and then washed to reduce the soap

content of neutral oil. Neutralization produces a more stable product.

Effective neutralization results in enhanced effectiveness of subsequent steps, such

as bleaching, deodorizing and furthermore, results in high yields of a quality

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product. Neutralization also aids in the removal of phosphatides, removal of free

fatty acids, mineral and color bodies.

Neutralization can be done in one of two ways:

(a) Alkali (Chemical).

(b) Steam Stripping (Physical).

In the Alkali/Chemical method, caustic soda (alkali) is mixed in the proper

amounts with Jatropha oil at 66-77oC and the aqueous solution is removed, leaving

the neutral oil behind. Some plants use sodium carbonate or potassium hydroxide

for alkali. The alkali reacts with the free fatty acids to form soap, which is an

important byproduct. Processors remove the traces of soap and moisture through

water washing and vacuum drying. In some cases, centrifuges separate neutral oil

from soap-stock and wash water.

Steam stripping is done under vacuum, to remove moisture, free fatty acids, odor

elements, and other impurities from the oil. As it is performed under vacuum

conditions, the oil can be kept at a low temperature, preserving its chemical

structure by not subjecting it to temperatures in which undesirable dehydration

reactions can occur.

De-waxing

De-waxing refers to the removal of high melting point waxes extracted from

Jatropha oil. While the wax does not negatively affect the functionality of products

the presence of wax does affect the appearance of product. The de-waxing process

that has proved most effective & efficient is to reduce the temperature down to 23-

24oCelsius within cooling tanks known as crystallizers, and then filtering out the

wax crystals either in a rotary drum vacuum filter or in filter presses made out of

polypropylene plate & frame filters.

Bleaching & Deodorizing

Bleaching

The appearance of dark color oil can be lightened by bleaching. Bleaching, the

process for removing these pigments from fats and oils occurs when 1% bleaching

clay is added to oil under vacuum at approximately 107-110oCelsius. The oil is

later agitated and filtered to remove the clay. The high temperature drives moisture

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from the clay to absorb the pigments. Some systems also use activated carbon in

the place of clay.

A high-tech bleaching plant may be equipped with hermetic leaf filters and

operates under vacuum to prevent oil oxidation. The oil is cold-mixed with

metered quantities of bleaching earth and/or other bleaching agents, heated to the

correct temperature and pumped to a bleaching chamber operating under vacuum

where an adequate retention time is provided to ensure effective bleaching. The

oil/earth slurry is further pumped through hermetic leaf filters operating in

sequence to enable continuous bleached oil (filtrate) discharge.

Deodorization

Volatile compounds present in the oil that produce bad odors can be eliminated

through the process of deodorization.

Deodorization represents the last major processing step in refining of Jatropha oil.

It separates the impurities and creates three groups of compounds:

1. Saponifiable compounds: free fatty acids, partial glycerides, esters, and gummy

constituents.

2. Unsaponifiable compounds: parafinic hydrocarbons, olefinic and polyolefinic

materials, sterols, triterpenic alcohols, and

3. Oxidative reaction products: aldehydes, ketones & peroxides.

This highly specialized process uses a type of steam distillation under high vacuum

to remove objectionable volatile components. The bleached oil pumps through a

de-aerator where the pretreated oil is de-gassed. This de-aerated oil passes through

a heat exchanger where the oil is heated by exchanging the heat of the deodorized

oil. Deodorization further heats the oil to the stripping temperature in a pre-heater.

The oil then flows to a flash chamber and thereafter to an oil distributor inside

falling film deodorizer. The oil descends counter-current to the stripping steam in

the form of a very thin film and becomes completely deodorized. The process

condenses cools and stores the distilled fatty acids.

The deodorized oil is pumped through a heat exchanger to the polishing filter and

thereafter passes through a cooler.

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Typical Processes & Equipments for Jatropha Oil Refinery

Plants

1. Degumming.

2. Neutralizer.

Soap/gums tank.

Water/oil/gravity separator.

Lye/brine/hot water tank.

Neutralized oil tank.

Oil pump.

Soap stock pump.

Hot water pump.

3. Dewaxing.

4. Bleacher.

Barometric condenser.

Catchall.

Earth dozer.

Bleached oil tank.

Filter press.

Filter pump.

Vacuum pump.

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5. Deodorizer.

Catchall.

Storage tank.

Cooler.

Polish filter.

Pump.

Vacuum system.

Other Equipments in a Jatropha Oil Refinery Plant.

Electrical/cables.

Pipe, valves, fittings.

Instruments/gauges.

Insulation.

Cooling tower.

Reactor.

Centrifuge.

Tray drier.

Crystallizer.

Pressure filter.

Distillation assembly.

Thermic fluid heater.

Chilling plant.

Vaccum nutch.

Air compressor.

Elevators.

Conveyors.

Gears.

Pressing worm and gears.

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Worm wheel.

Plunger pumps.

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Removing the Toxins from the Meal

The poisonous property of the plant is mainly due to presence of

toxalbumins called curcin, ricin and cyanic acid, related to ricinoleic acid.

The primary toxic factors present in Jatropha seed meal are the phorbol

esters.

Ricin has been shown to exhibit many cardiotoxic and hemolytic effects.

Detoxification of Jatropha Meal

When the toxins in the Jatropha meal are removed, the detoxified Jatropha meal

can be used as animal feed.

The components associated with toxicity can be denatured or inactivated by heat.

Heat treatment or the combination of heat and chemical treatments can inactivate

the toxic components. Extraction with 80-90% ethanol or methanol also holds

promise in detoxification.

Certain fermentation processes also have the potential to eliminate the toxins.

Jatropha oil cake compares well with any other oil cake and poultry and farm yard

manure in terms of N, P and K content of 4.4, 2.09 and 1.68 per cent respectively.

http://www.tnau.ac.in/tech/swc/evJatropha.pdf

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Uses of Jatropha Meal

Livestock feed

Jatropha seed cake is high in protein – 58.1 percent by weight compared to soy

meal‟s 48 percent – and would be a valuable livestock protein feed supplement if it

were not for its toxicity. Currently, removal of toxins is not commercially viable.

Using non-toxic varieties from Mexico could make greater use of this potentially

valuable by-product, but even these varieties may need treatment to avoid sub-

clinical problems that could arise with long-term feeding of Jatropha seed cake to

livestock (Makkar and Becker, 1997).

Organic fertilizer

Jatropha seed cake makes an excellent organic fertilizer with high nitrogen content

similar to, or better than, chicken manure.

Fuel

The seed cake has a high energy content of 25 MJ kg-1

. Experiments have shown

that some 60 percent more biogas was produced from jatropha seed cake in

anaerobic digesters than from cattle dung, and that it had a higher calorific value

(Abreu, 2008). The residue from the biogas digester can be used further as a

fertilizer. Where cow dung is used for household fuel, as in India, the seed cake

can be combined with cow dung and cellulosic crop residues, such as seed husks,

to make fuel briquettes.

Using the Fruit Shells and Seed Husks

Biogas has been produced from fruit shells. In addition, trials showed that seed

husks can be used as a feedstock for a gasification plant (Staubmann et al., cited

Achten et al., 2008).

Jatropha fruit shells and seed husks can be used for direct combustion. Since the

shells make up around 35–40 percent of the whole fruit by weight and have a

calorific value approaching that of fuel wood, they could be a useful by-product of

jatropha oil production. As shown in Table 8, the calorific values of Prosopis

juliflora (a fuelwood species of semi-arid areas) and jatropha fruit shells are

similar. However, four times the volume of fruit shells is required to equal the

heating value of fuel wood, due to their lower bulk density.

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Seed husks have a higher heating value and greater bulk density which makes them

more valuable than the fruit shells as a combustible fuel. However, the technology

required to separate the seed husk from the kernel is more suited to large

processing plants than small rural industry.

The fruit shells can be dried and ground to a powder and formed into fuel

briquettes. A trial found that 1 kg of briquettes took around 35 minutes for

complete combustion, giving temperatures in the range of 525ºC–780ºC (Singh et

al., 2008).

The ash left after combustion of Jatropha shell briquettes is high in potassium,

which may be applied to crops or kitchen gardens. The fruit shells and seed husks

also can be left around Jatropha trees as mulch and for crop nutrition. For Jatropha

grown on degraded land, this has clear advantages because nutrient re-cycling –

through returning the seed cake to the plantation – is unlikely to happen, due to the

effort required and the higher utility to be gained from applying the seed cake to

high-value crops.

Jatropha Meal as Organic Manure to Jatropha curcas Plants

An experient was done to test the response of Jatropha curcas plants to Jatropha

cake used as organic manure. The experiments were conducted on cultivable

wasteland at Mohuda in the Orissa state of India. The climate is sub-humid

receiving high rainfall during rainy months. The soil was sandy loam and non

saline with pH 7.2, 05% organic carbon and the available N, P and K were 140.2,

17.5 and 458 kg ha-1, respectively.

Five levels of treatments comprising four different levels of Jatropha cake (0.75,

1.5, 2.25 and 3 tonnes ha-1) and one control plot were applied to Jatropha plants

under two different spacings (4m x 3m and 3m x 2m).

Jatropha cake significantly increased the seed yield of Jatropha curcas with

increasing level of cake up to the maximum level of 3 t/ha under both the spacings.

The treatment receiving 3 tonnes/ha recorded the highest per plant seed yield of

1.52 kg and 0.87 kg in 4m x 3m and 3m x 2m spacings, respectively. The increase

in yield obtained with the highest level of cake was 120% over control in the

treatment with 833 plants per hectare, while corresponding increase for 1667 plants

per hectare treatment was 93%.

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Properties of Jatropha Oil

The Jatropha plant has shot into the limelight primarily owing to the lipid content

in its seeds. The oil (lipid) contains triglycerides which can be changed into alkyl

esters using the transesterification process.

In addition to being a feedstock candidate for biodiesel, the Jatropha oil could also

find other uses owing to its chemical constituents and composition. This chapter

provides more details on the properties, constituents and uses of Jatropha oil.

Properties & Chemical Composition of Jatropha Oil

Jatropha curcas contains rare natural products, for example cyclic peptides,

which are known to be potent antibacterial, anticancer and

immunosuppressive drugs.

Two major cyclopeptides, curcacyline A and B have been isolated from

Jatropha curcas latex consisting of nine amino acids as known for the

commercially used cyclosporine. For both natural products significant

immunosuppressive activity was found.

Especially in the fatty oil, but also in all other parts of the plants, the natural

product group of diterpenoids is present.

Lectins are of high pharmaceutical interest because of selected drug

targeting properties for cancer cells, parasitic microorganisms and

immunocompetent cells. Jatropha lectins are present in safe and non toxic

levels in Jatropha varieties. Study on non-toxic lectins for drug targeting

strategies is essential since it is actually an emerging field in

nanobiotechnology.

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Physical and Chemical Properties

Property Jatropha Oil Flash

point 240/110 °C

Carbon

residue 0.64

Cetane

value 51

Distillation point

(°C) 295 °C

Kinematic

Viscosity 50.73 cs

Sulphur % 0.13%

Calorific value 9470 Kcal/kg

Pour point 8 °C

Color 4

Specific gravity

(15 °C/4 °C)

0.917/

0.923(0.881)

Solidifying Point 2.0°C

Refractive Index

@ 30°C 1.47

Acid value 1.0 - 38.2

Chemical Composition

Moisture 6.20%

Protein 18.00%

Fat 38.00%

Carbohydrates 17.00%

Fiber 15.50%

Ash 5.30%

The oil contains 21% saturated fatty acids and 79% unsaturated fatty acids. The

major acids present are palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid.

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Global Biodiesel Production and Capacity

Global biodiesel production is expanding rapidly along with increasing production

capacities. Feedstocks are a major concern, however. High prices and feedstock

shortages in Europe, US and Asia are contributing to the growing gap between

production and capacity in each region.

World Biodiesel Production, 2005-2017 (Millions of gallons)

Biodiesel Production (thousand tonnes)

Countries 2006 2008 2009

USA 0.85 2 2.1

Brazil 0.07 1.2 1.6

France 0.63 1.6 2.6

Germany 2.8 2.2 2.6

China 0.07 0.1 0.4

Argentina - 1.2 1.4

Canada 0.05 0.1 0.1

Spain 0.14 0.3 0.6

Thailand 0.14 0.4 0.6

Colombia 0.06 0.2 0.2

Italy 0.57 0.3 0.4

India 0.03 0.02 0.1

UK 0.11 0.2 0.5

Source: Renewables Global Status Report.

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According to Global Data‟s latest report on the global biodiesel market, production

increased from 0.84 million tons in 2001 to 13.86 million tons in 2009, at a CAGR

of 41.9%. Supported by governments to increase energy independence and meet

the rising energy demand, the biodiesel market is expected to produce 45,291

million liters of biodiesel in 2020, representing a CAGR of 10.1% during 2009 to

2020.

Europe was the leading biodiesel market in 2009 with a production share of 49.8%,

followed by the Americas with a production share of 32.8% and the Asia Pacific

with a share of 4.4%. The European share in biodiesel production has been

declining since 2001, while the share of the Americas and the Asia Pacific

increased. The top five biodiesel producers in the world are the Germany, the US,

France, Argentina and Brazil. All of these countries together produce 68.4% of the

world‟s total biodiesel. Australia is the largest producer of biodiesel in the Asia

Pacific, followed by China and India.

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Global Market View on Jatropha

Recent studies show a potential of approximately 30 million hectares of land on

which Jatropha could be grown, especially in South America, Africa and in Asian

countries such as China, India or Indonesia.

Global Yield Map

Imperium Renewables, biodiesel manufacturing and refining technology producer,

commissioned an extensive GIS analysis of the global potential for Jatropha

plantations given stringent land use and sustainability requirements. This mapping

projects over 800 million hectares of sustainable, non-forested, non-food land are

suitable for Jatropha plantations, worldwide. This number will certainly come

down as land is examined on a case-by-case basis, but it demonstrates the potential

to produce tens of billions of gallons of sustainable Jatropha oil.

In the chart below, one can see the areas worldwide with potential for Jatropha

cultivation. These areas are also categorized based on the productivity.

Source: http://www.rrbconference.com/bestanden/downloads/125.pdf

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Global Commercial Projects of Jatropha

The Jatropha industry is in its very early stages, covering a global area estimated at

some 900 000 ha. More than 85 percent of Jatropha plantings are in Asia, chiefly

Myanmar, India, China and Indonesia. Africa accounts for around 12 percent or

approximately 120 000 ha, mostly in Madagascar and Zambia, but also in Tanzania

and Mozambique. Latin America has approximately 20 000 ha of Jatropha, mostly

in Brazil. The area planted to Jatropha is projected to grow to 4.72 million ha by

2010 and 12.8 million ha by 2015. By then, Indonesia is expected to be the largest

producer in Asia with 5.2 million ha, Ghana and Madagascar together will have the

largest area in Africa with 1.1 million ha, and Brazil is projected to be the largest

producer in Latin America with 1.3 million ha (adapted from FAO, 2010).

Development of Jatropha Schemes by 2013

According to GEXSI‟s global market study on Jatropha, South-East Asia has a

higher than average proportion (> 45% of used land) of large scale Jatropha

operations (> 5 ha), especially in the Philippines, China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

This trend will become more dominant in the future. More than 60% of areas in

Asia are expected to be large scale operations by 2013. In India, on the other hand,

Jatropha cultivation takes place on a very small scale. This will prevail in the

future (only appr. 25% of areas for large scale projects in 2013) and may be due to

the Indian government strongly supporting small scale schemes. Africa and Latin

America will develop similarly to the global averages, with a high percentage of

very large projects predicted in Ghana and Brazil by 2013.

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Source: GEXSI, 2008.

Reference:

http://www.bayercropscience.com/BCSWeb/CropProtection.nsf/id/20080109_EN

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Strategies for Financing

Companies and organizations wishing to secure financial for Jatropha ventures can

either obtain it though loans or by the equity route.

Loans – loans can be obtained from a variety of banks. Please contact the

specific bank for their terms and conditions.

Private and public retail banks.

Specialised banks (Eg NABARD, an Indian bank focused on agricultural

development). These banks usually partner with governments in distributing

special loans for projects such as Jatropha biodiesel. Some governments,

including India, are keen on providing credit facilities to farmers to cultivate

Jatropha. Established companies exploring Jatropha also find the bank credit

route to be a viable option, especially if they are looking to raise large

amounts of funds. For instance, Emami Biotech, a company belonging to a

prominent Indian business group, preferred to go the bank loan route when it

was looking to invest about $100 million in Jatropha plantations in Ethiopia,

and was keen to get 70% of the total investments funded through bank loans.

International development banks such as the World Bank, Asian

Development Bank.

Government Grants.

o Equity – while there has been little financing from the traditional

venture capital firms, considerable interest has been shown by the

private equity firms. In some cases, funding through the equity route

has come by through acquisitions. For instance, For instance, in Aug

2007, Energem Resources of Canada acquired a 70 per cent stake of

shares in a renewable energy venture in Mozambique focussed on

Jatropha biodiesel. Another example of acquisition-based equity

funding happened in the case Ireland‟s South Cone Agriculture, a

developer of Jatropha plantations. Integrated Biodiesel Industries

acquired a 10 percent stake in South Cone Agriculture, and South

Cone planned to use the funds from the investment to develop

plantations in Angola, Brazil and Argentina.

o Governmental schemes – these could be either following the equity

route or the debt route, or these could be special grants. For instance

in Tanzania, the US Government granted $5.4 million to the

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Tanzanian government for a project to establish a model for Jatropha

farming in the country. The grant was provided under the Jatropha

agriculture and nutrition initiative (JANI) project of the US

development agency, USAID. The project planned to provide

employment and assistance to thousands of farmers and is expected to

run until 2012.

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Status of Jatropha in Asia

Cambodia

In Cambodia, Jatropha curcas is found in all over the country and is generally

grown as a live fence for protection of agricultural fields against damage by

livestock as it is unpalatable to cattle. The Jatropha projects in Cambodia are as

follows:

Biodiesel Cambodia's vision has been to introduce biodiesel to Cambodia

and to assist in the development of the biodiesel industry. Current Jatropha

projects under this are:

o The MVU Biodiesel Project: Maharishi Vedic University (MVU) has

designed, built, and now operates a small, self-sufficient biodiesel

production facility that runs on both used-cooking oil and Jatropha

plant oil.

o Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) intends to be a role model of

sustainability in Cambodia by replacing its current use of fossil-fuel

diesel with 100% biodiesel made from the locally grown Jatropha

curcas plant.

Eco-Carbone, a consulting and project development services in the area of

climate change mitigation has identified two promising regions for Jatropha

development in Cambodia, and will enter into partnership with local farmers

and communities for a minimum of 10,000 ha.

Malaysia

Mission Biofuels has contracted 200,000 acres of farmland in Malaysia to

grow Jatropha and expects to expand the land area to increase to 750,000

acres by the end of 2008. The total land area is expected to increase to 1.5

million acres in 2009 and 2.5 million acres in 2010. (May 2008).

Passion Masters Resources Sdn Bhd, a company in Malysia is to plant 809

hectares of Jatropha in Belawai, Jerijeh, Tanjung Manis and the Rajang area

in Mukah division. The plantation is expected to be in operation this year

with 2 million seedlings being planted and the biofuel plant will take

feedstock from small scale planters as well as the company's own

plantation.( Feb 2009).

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Myanmar (Burma)

Myanmar has started the cultivation of Jatropha from 2004 with a large promotion

and support from the government. The Jatropha activities are:

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation announced that it will form a joint

venture with the Japan Development Institute and Japan Bio Energy

Development Cooperation to produce Jatropha-based biodiesel. According

to the enterprise, Myanmar has about 6.41 million hectares of land suitable

for growing Jatropha plants. (Oct 2008).

A Myanmar company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)

with a South Korean company to build a biodiesel plant in Myanmar. A total

of 2000 acres are to be used for Jatropha along the Pathein-Mawtinsun

motorway. The deal between Agri-Tech Ltd of SPA/ FMI Companies Group

of Myanmar and the Enertech Co Ltd of South Korea comes in response to

the government's call on the private sector to back biodiesel to ease

problems of the supply and cost of fuel in the country. (Nov 2008).

Indonesia

In Indonesia, Jatropha curcas L (JCL) is found on the islands: Java, Timor and

Flores. It is used for: living fence, ornamental, medicinal, lighting purposes

(seeds). (Jul 2008).

Jatropha activities in Indonesia are:

India's State Trading Corp. (STC) plans to acquire land inIndonesia and

Suriname to grow Jatropha for biodiesel feedstocks. STC started Jatropha

farming on 100 hectares (247 acres) of land in Suriname and plans to expand

the plantation to 50,000 hectares (123,553 acres) (Nov 2008).

Mother Earth Plantations Pte. Ltd, a Singapore based company is to invest

$100 million to develop Jatropha plantations and a refinery in West Timor,

East Nusa Tenggara Province. The investment will come through the

Singapore company's Indonesian subsidiary PT Buana Ibunda, and the

project will be able to produce up to 21 million barrels of biodiesel a year by

2013. (Mar 2009).

The Indonesian government has issued two important policies; first, a decree

issued last year obliging industries and the transportation sector to use

biofuels; and second, its recent decision to provide subsidies for sales of the

biofuels. Both are expected to provide a strong impetus for growth in the

country‟s nascent biofuel industry. In issuing these policies, the government

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has underlined its commitment to seeing the national biofuel development

program through to fruition.(October 2009).

China

The largest Jatropha curcas L forest in development in China is located in the

Southwest of Sichuan province, with a total area of up to 27,000ha. (Apr 2008).

In Yunnan province, there are plenty of large areas good for Jatropha curcas.

According to statistics from Yunnan forestry authorities, about 500 thousand mu

(15 mu = 1 hectar) in Yunnan is currently covered with wild and planted Jatropha

curcas forests.

Jatropha activities in china are:

The government-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) is

planning to have 80,000 acres of Jatropha in Sichuan Province alone by

2010.

Guizhou Province's biodiesel oil produced by Jatropha curcas will reach 1

million tons per year in the future, generating output values of CNY 10

billion. (Sep 05, 2008).

In June 2008, the provincial government applied to the National

Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) for a 50,000-ton Jatropha

curcas-based biodiesel oil industrialization demonstration project, in which

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation takes a 30% stake with CNY 130

million of investment.

Guizhou has set up a 300-ton Jatropha curcas-based biodiesel oil trial

production line, the sample products of which are superior to diesel oil in

various factors. Its biodiesel oil meets the European Union (Phase IV)

Emission Standards – (Sep, 2008).

The plantation area of Jatropha curcas has exceeded 16,667.5 hectares in the

province, and two biodiesel demonstration facilities respectively with an

annual output of 10,000 tons and 20,000 tons have both been put into

production. (Sep, 2008).

National investments in China in Jatropha biodiesel

China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) also plans to invest 2.3 billion

RMB(Renminbi) until 2010 to develop 33,000 ha of Jatropha curcas L.

forest in Panzhihua, Sichuan province(Apr 2008).

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China‟s largest state oil company, Sinopec, said it will invest $5 billion in

Jatropha and plantations in Indonesia. The Chinese and Italian governments

have initiated a feasibility study for Jatropha biodiesel at Sichuan Universtiy.

The project received $650,000 in support from Italy. The project is the third

signed by Italy and China, promising cooperation in biofuels research since

mid-April. The others covered industrial waste oil-based biodiesel in Hubei

Province, and thin-film solar cells in Shanghai. (Jul 2008).

Foreign investments in China in Jatropha biodiesel

Biodiesel Manufacturing Company (UK) plans to plant over 30,000ha of

Jatropha curcas L. in Guangxi province, with an expected capacity of

100,000 T/y as feedstock. By 2009, this project should produce more than

10,000 T/y biodiesel (Apr 2008).

British Sunshine Technology Group (UK) has planted 267 ha Jatropha

curcas L. forest in 2006, and is planning to plant 20,000 ha more in the

Basin of Honghe River of Yunnan province during 2007-2012. In Sichuan

province, the investor plans to develop over 650,000 ha of Jatropha curcas L.

forests at a total investment of over 4 billion RMB.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Boeing Company have

signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Shanghai, China. The two

organizations will cooperate on bio-energy, advanced material, and wireless

technology. The near term collaboration opportunities for Boeing and China

could be the commercialization plans for Jatropha (Oct 2009).

Japan

In Japan, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Nagasaki and Okinawa

prefectures respectively, are currently promoting cultivation tests of Jatropha

using idle farm lands, abandoned arable lands, converted rice-fields, and

waste lands among mountains. In these challenges, local municipalities are

taking initiatives and collaborating with civic organizations and private

businesses. The aim of the municipalities is “produce and consume energy

locally”. Production of biofuel from Jatropha can contribute to utilization of

idle/unused lands as well as cost reduction of farmers. A civic body named

“Minami-Kyusyu Jatropha Project” based in Miyazaki City has completed

growing of 10,000 young Jatropha trees by August 2009 among the southern

Kyushu region including Miyazaki, Kagoshima and Kumamoto prefectures.

In this project, produced Jatropha-oil will be blended with A-heavy oil and

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used for heating greenhouses and other purposes. In addition, a one-hour test

run of a fishing boat was carried out successfully at off-Hachijojima Island,

using blended heavy fuel with 50 % Jatropha-oil-content. A NPO

“Nadeshiko Family” and Hachijojima-based company “Sakagami” jointly

conducted this running test. For producing the above mentioned Jatropha-oil,

a high-speed stirring method was used. (2009).

Korea

Two Korean companies have committed a total of $600 million for biofuel

investments using sugarcane and Jatropha as feedstock, according to the

country‟s Department of Agriculture. In a statement, the department said

that Environment Plasma Co. Ltd. (EPCL) and Eco Solutions Co. Ltd.

(Ecos) have each signed an agreement to develop biofuel feedstock farms in

the Philippines. Ecos will invest $175 million to develop 100,000 ha of

Jatropha plantations in General Santos City and Sarangani. The feedstock

will be processed into biodiesel in a refinery with a capacity of 60 million

liters a year (June 2009).

Nepal

A project proposal entitled "Community Based Jatropha Biodiesel for Rural

Economic Growth in Nepal" submitted by the Clean Energy/Environment

unit of Nepal aims to use the Jatropha seeds growing in the community

waste lands and as hedges in the private lands to produce biodiesel locally

and use it for rural applications mainly for operating irrigation pumps.

The company, Crystal Bio-energy Nepal Limited is supposed to build a

strong confidence in promoting Jatropha cultivation to the people by

assisting planting, purchasing the seeds for oil extraction for bio-diesel.

Crystal Bio-Energy wants to pioneer the organized plantation of Jatropha

throughout Nepal using agronomic techniques pioneered and perfected in

Nepal. Crystal Bio-energy says a total of 85000 hectare land area will be

planted within 2011 which requires 212 millions Jatropha plants, an

investment of 5525 million Nrs.

Pakistan

South Korea and Pakistan may be working together on Jatropha plantations

and extraction plants in a deal arranged by the Zarai Taraqiati Bank.

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Pakistan recently planted the Jatropha plant in desert regions throughout the

country in order to later harvest the fields for biodiesel, a method of

biodiesel production that India is already currently utilising. The Pakistani

government said it would hope that this would help offset a percentage of

the $3 billion dollars already spent on importing diesel (Oct 2009).

In Pakistan, the national government plans to begin a pilot project on

Jatropha plantation and biodiesel production at an estimated cost of $1.6m.

The Korean government will assist Pakistan in initiating the project through

provision of $1.4m, while the remaining amount will be provided by Zarai

Taraqiati Bank Ltd. The project will comprise cultivation of Jatropha on at

least 200 hectares and setting up a biodiesel production unit. To start the

project, the bank will promote the plantation of Jatropha trees over 200

hectares. (Jan 2010).

Philippines

According to Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), the Philippines has

sufficient lands and favorable climatic condition for growing Jatropha. Potential

area for plantation is 4 million hectares (captive plantation) and 1 million hectares

(hedge plantation). Also the country‟s forest area is 15 million hectares and has

evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year.

The country‟s Jatropha activities are:

The Philippines is expected to start exporting Jatropha oil to the US next

year. Abundant Biofuels Corp is expected to export about 30 million gallons

of the oil to the US as a feedstock for biodiesel. According to reports,

Abundant Biofuels has secured a deal with Jatropha BioJet Corp., to supply

five million barrels of Jatropha oil a year for 10 years. Abundant‟s

Philippine subsidiary formed a partnership in 2007 with the Supreme

Council of Datus Alimaong, which represents holders of ancestral land in

Northern Mindanao. Some 60,000 hectares were initially identified as

plantation sites, and those are to be expanded over three years to cover

260,000 hectares. (Jul 2009).

The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental through its BioFuel

Program Committee launched the province‟s first Jatropha Processing and

Research Center at the Technology and Livelihood Development Center.

The province has currently 792,607 hectares of land, about 500,000 of which

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is devoted to agriculture while other land areas are abandoned and

undeveloped.(Aug 2009).

Singapore

Natural Fuel has announced that it has completed an agreement with GEM

BioFuels (GEM) for the supply of crude Jatropha oil feedstock for its

Singapore biodiesel facility. The supply of the crude Jatropha oil will

commence in early 2009 at a free on board delivery price of US$500 per

tonne, adjusted for inflation, for the first five years of the 10 year agreement.

GEM will initially supply NFL with 2.5% of its Singapore facility

production requirements (Feb 2008).

Vietnam

According to Vietnam Institute of Ecological Economy,Vietnamhas approximately

9.7 million hectares of wasteland available for planting Jatropha. The Jatropha

activities are:

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam have approved

a project, according to which, Vietnam will be growing 500.000 hectares

Jatropha and produce about 1 million MT of biodiesel from Jatropha seeds

(July 2008).

Eco-Carbone, which provides consulting and project development services

in the area of climate change mitigation has identified four regions in

Vietnam for Jatropha development, and will enter into partnership with local

farmers and communities for a minimum of 30,000 ha.

Germany‟s renewable energy company REG Energie, Duc Viet -Vietnam‟s

food processing giant, and Vietnam Institute of Ecological Economy has

planned to produce bio-diesel from Jatropha seeds. (Nov 2006).

Jatoil and Green Energy Vietnam are setting up a joint venture under the

Jatoil Group with the aim of establishing 5,000 hectares of Jatropha

plantations in Vietnam. Jatoil are also looking at similar arrangements across

Asia and Sri Lanka(Mar 2008).

UAE

A company called Emirates Biodiesel (EmBio) is set to start producing

biodiesel next year at a plant near Al Ain from waste oils and locally grown

Jatropha (September 6. 2008).

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Status of Jatropha in Europe

Belgium

Finnish engineering firm Wärtsilä announced it had clinched an $11m deal

to build the world's first engine-driven combined heat power and power

(CHP) plant, designed to run off crude Jatropha oil. The plant, costing

approximately $11m, will be located in an agricultural area of Belgium, the

company said. It will be owned by Green power NV, a joint venture set up

by sustainable energy firm Thernergo, four local agricultural companies and

a private investor. - (Apr 2008).

Germany

Daimler has joined forces with Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM)

and Bayer Crop Science for the cultivation of the biodiesel raw material

Jatropha in the south of India; the seedlings for the first 100 hectares (250

acres) have been planted. The company is supporting several village

communities in the state of Tamil Nadu with funds and expertise from its

already successfully completed research projects. (Feb 2010).

Finland

Finnish oil Major Neste Oil, in which the government of Finland holds a

majority stake, is looking into using Jatropha oil as a feedstock for its

innovative second generation biodiesel. (Apr 2007).

According to the Finnish engineering company Wartsila, the world's first

ever heat and power plant fuelled by Jatropha oil will be in operation in

Belgium by early 2009. The 9-MW plant costing €7 million would be built

by Wartsila in the Belgian Merksplas farming region. It will be owned by a

joint venture between sustainable energy developer Thenargo and local

agricultural companies.(Aug 2008).

United Kingdom

D1 Oils plc is a leading biofuels technology company based in UK. D1-BP's

key areas of operation are Southern Africa, India and South East Asia. Up

to31 March 2008; D1-BP Fuel Crops has planted or obtained rights to off

take from a total of 192,016 hectares of Jatropha worldwide. Planting is

concentrated in Southern Africa, India and South East Asia.

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De-Ord Fuel opened a new 100,000 GPY biodiesel facility in Mansfield that

will use Jatropha and waste vegetable oil as feedstocks. The $550,000

project is one of the first of a wave of micro-facilities that will utilize

sustainable feedstocks in Europe. (Jul 2008).

A factory to process Jatropha biofuel is due to be set up next year in the

Gondola district of Mozambique‟s Manica province by the British company

Sun Biofuels. The company had planted 1,000 hectares of Jatropha since

2006, which is a fifth of the total it has in the area, at an investment of

US$4.5 million. The Sun Biofuels factory expects to produce just over

20,000 litres of biofuel per year based on production at Gondola before

expanding the project to Machaze where it plans to open up a 2,000 hectare

Jatropha plantation.(Oct 2009).

Ireland

Integrated Biodiesel Industries of Brazil said that it has acquired a 10

percent stake in Ireland‟s South Cone Agriculture, a developer of Jatropha

plantations. IBI, which will have a total production capacity of 135,000

tonnes by the end of 2008 from its plants in Argentina, said that it sought to

develop alternative feedstocks to soy oil. (Jul 2008).

Switzerland

The company, Green Bio Fuel, has received permission from authorities in

canton Aargau to build a factory that could generate enough biodiesel to

help Switzerland meet its target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to ten

per cent of 1990 levels. Green Bio Fuel says the diesel will be produced

solely from the oil squeezed out of Jatropha seeds imported from

Mozambique. The facility will have the capacity to produce 130 million

litres of biodiesel a year, which amounts to five per cent of Switzerland‟s

current demand for diesel fuel. (Jan 2010).

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Status of Jatropha in Africa

Map Depicting Suitable Areas for Jatropha Cultivation in Africa

In a survey conducted by Dr. Guy Midgley, Chief Specialist Scientist of the

Kirstenbosch Research Center of of the South African National Biodiversity

Institute (Cape Town) over 1,080 million hectares land in Africa could be termed

prime growing regions for Jatropha curcas on the African continent. A further 580

million hectares could be used making a total of 1,660 million hectares suitable for

the growing of Jatropha.

On the map of Africa the dark areas represent prime Jatropha growing regions in

Africa. These areas, comprising over 1,080 million hectares, or 10.8 million square

kilometers, are ideal because the average annual rainfall exceeds 800 mm, and the

minimum temperature of the coldest month is greater than 2oC.

The light green areas of the map are areas with average annual rainfall in excess of

300 mm, with the minimum temperature of the coldest month greater than 2

degrees centigrade. These areas, comprising over 580 million hectares, or 5.8

million square kilometers, are also viable regions for growing Jatropha.

Since 2005, nearly 300,000 hectares of planned production projects have been

established in more than four African nations.

Zambia

The one advantage that Zambia has, being a land-locked country, is that import

parity of fuel into Zambia certainly is more expensive than in South Africa, and a

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driving force there to establish biofuel production is higher in Zambia than what it

would be in South Africa.

The Omnia group has made an investment of some R29-million into

research on Jatropha agronomics in Zambia. Omnia would continue to spend

the necessary capital on research in this field on an ongoing basis (27 Jun

2008).

Oval Biofuels, a biofuels company in Zambia is currently establishing large

scale Jatropha curcas (Jatropha) plantations in several areas in central,

western and southern Zambia.

Ghana

Jatropha Hamburg is planning for 250.000 hectares of Jatropha plantation. A

report mentions that 100 ha of Jatropha are already planted to deliver seeds

for the extension of the industrial plantations.

UNDP extends it project MFP (multi functional platforms) to Ghana(2008).

Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology, Kumasii, Ghana

and Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom initiated a project

for Jatropha Energy Development for rural communities in Ghana (2008).

Ghana is now planning a 12,000 hectare project with South Africa-based

BD-1 Group. Ghana has also received interest in Jatropha production from

Petrobras, EniSpA, Entaban and Juanx Lioret (2008).

A two million-euro Jatropha project to produce bio-energy at Wale wale in

the northern part of Ghana has been launched by the European Union. The

five-year project would use unfertile lands in the area to cultivate Jatropha

plants and process the seeds to obtain crude oil and its by-products. The

project would develop the marketing of primary and secondary products of

Jatropha and the setting up of community-based organizations and micro-

enterprises to reduce poverty. In addition, he said, the project would realize

direct desertification mitigation actions in the target areas by using drought

resistant species with a high market value. (Oct 2010).

Mozambique

Mozambique is widely seen as having the largest potential for Jatropha production.

The International Energy Agency estimated that Mozambique could produce

nearly 3 million barrels of oil a day of liquid biofuels from non-food crop

resources such as Jatropha. In Mozambique, three significant projects were

announced during 2006-2007.

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Canadian-based Energem Resources has invested $5.5 million (4 million) in

its first small plantation with near future commitments to cultivate 60,000

hectares. (2008).

South African-based Duelco Renewable Energy has established

Mozambique partnerships around a 60,000 hectare plantation and ESV-Bio

Africa is currently managing an 11,000 hectare plantation with plans for

100,000 hectares.(2008).

A biofuel refinery is being planned for development in the Buzi district of

Sofala province in Mozambique within the next ten years by Buzi Company

of Mozambique and Galpenergia of Portugal. At least €100,000 annually is

needed to fund the project. At least 8,000 hectares of sunflower and Jatropha

are planned be planted to produce around 5,000 tons of seeds needed for the

biofuel manufacture. Galpbuzi has reportedly planted 150 hectares of

Jatropha and 25 hectares of sunflower in the locality of Bandua, Buzi. (July

2009).

The Mozambican Government has approved two biofuel production projects

for the province of Sofala, central Mozambique. The Council of Ministers

also approved a concession for Enerterra, a company made up of private

Mozambican and Portuguese investors, of 18,920 hectares in the district of

Cheringoma, Sofala province, for Jatropha production. Enerterra plans to

invest US$53 million in biofuel production, 90% of which will be exported

to Europeand 10% sold in Mozambique.(Aug 2009).

Sun Biofuels, a British company, has been planting thousands of acres of

Jatropha at a former tobacco farm in Africa. Mozambique only cultivates 20

percent of its arable land, one of the lowest cultivation rates in Africa. Sun

Biofuels argues there should be room for all sorts of farming, particularly

ones that bring education and employment (Apr 2010).

Madagascar

USAID (United States Agency for International Development) is supporting

agricultural extension and the commercialization of Jatropha inclusive of the

production of biodiesel. Agricultural extension is forging ahead in

Madagascar where more than 500,000 ha of cultivation is in place.

UK-based feedstock supplier GEM BioFuels has raised £3.5 million (€5

million) for use in expanding its Jatropha plantations in Madagascar and to

acquire a seed crushing plant to produce crude Jatropha oil. The company

has entered into 18 long term land agreements with Madagascan communes

in relation to 452,500 hectares to establish plantations, ranging in size from

2,500 - 50,000 hectares with a further 40,000 hectares of natural forest

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containing substantial numbers of mature Jatropha trees Biodiesel producer

GEM Biofuels will ship its first Jatropha oil exports from Madagascar before

the end of 2009, according to the company. (Oct 2009).

Malawi

The Malawi government is facilitating the implementation of a number of

private-sector-driven projects to set up biodiesel production plants in the

country. Government is prioritizing production of biofuels from Jatropha

because the plant is rated more highly than maize and rice as far as oil

production is concerned. The companies that are at an advanced stage in the

process to start production of biodiesel from Jatropha include a consortium

comprising Netherlands-based TNT Group and some African investors,

which is reportedly preparing to set up a $12-million biodisel production

plant in the capital, Lilongwe. (Jun 08).

Mali

One of the best examples of a sustainable usage of Jatropha is found in the West

African country of Mali. The Jatropha program in Malibegan in 1993 with German

Technical Assistance.

A Dutch-backed start-up in Mali could be the first in Africa to produce

biodiesel from Jatropha on an industrial scale. The company is not relying

on new plantations to source its raw material instead it is buying up Jatropha

nuts already available from the estimated 20,000km of living Jatropha fences

that cover other crops and stop soil erosion in Mali. (Oct, 2007).

Eco-Carbone, international pharmaceutical company and rural communities,

a dynamic Malian agro-business, have established a joint venture to adopt

sustainable agro-forestry practices through Jatropha curcas plantations. A

total of about 12,000 ha of Jatropha plantations will be developed under the

project, producing about 10,000 T of Jatropha oil each year at full capacity

and sequestering 600,000 TCO2e by 2012 and over 800,000 TCO2e by

2017.

Zimbabwe

The National Oil Company of Zimbabwe has contracted about 300 small-

scale Jatropha growers and provided them with over 30 million seedlings to

grow 1000 ha of the crop during the past two seasons communal, and

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farmers had taken over 99 percent of all produced seedlings during the past

two seasons, which most of them grew as hedges (September 2009).

Tanzania

Tanzanian activists oppose Jatropha-based biofuel production:

Environmental activists in Tanzania‟s Coast Region have raised concern

over the planned large-scale cultivation of Jatropha for biofuel production,

saying it would lead to environmental degradation. (May 2008).

In Tanzania, the US Government has granted $5.4 million to the Tanzanian

government for a project to establish a model for Jatropha farming in the

country. The grant was provided under the Jatropha Agriculture and

Nutrition Initiative (JANI) project of the US development agency. (August

2009).

Egypt

Within the national programme for safe use of treated sewage water for

afforestation, planting Jatropha has been achieved in Upper Egypt (Luxor

Governorate) by using treated sewage water.

The Egyptian state reported that Cairo was currently looking into the

expansion of the cultivation of the Jatropha plant as a means of producing

biofuels. 200 feddans (84 hectares) in the Red Sea province of Hurghada

would be planted with Jatropha. The country is looking into the possibility

of getting assistance on the project from Japan.(Aug 2009).

References:

http://ecoworld.com/features/2005/08/21/Jatropha-in-africa/

http://www.ovalbiofuels.com/index.php

http://www.thaiJatropha.com/Feedstock.pdf

www.eco-carbone.com/

http://www.eeaa.gov.eg/English/main/env_forests_Jatropha.asp

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Status of Jatropha in South America

Jatropha Oil in South America

Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. has delivered its first test shipment of Crude

Jatropha Oil to Allegro Biodiesel Corporation's biodiesel production facility in

Pollock Louisiana for processing into biodiesel fuel. Global Clean Energy

Holdings is developing Jatropha plantations in Latin America. The two companies

have entered into a testing and processing agreement to produce Jatropha biodiesel

meeting ASTM and EU specifications. (Feb, 2008).

Brazil

UK-based biodiesel specialist Viridas is seeking £5 million backing from

institutional investors to fund plans for a new Jatropha farm in Brazil. The

company has signed a supply agreement with chemicals giant Ineos to

supply it with all the biofuel it can produce up to 60,000 tonnes a year and

has spent the last year working with South American agricultural consultant

Cozanave to establish trial plantations and assess different technologies and

fertilization, irrigation and pruning techniques. Now it is seeking £5 million

in funding to build a 250 hectare "home farm" from which to begin

producing Jatropha oil on a commercial scale (Feb 2009).

A start-up company, BioVentures Brazil, is getting $1 million from the Inter

American Development Bank for a pilot project on about seven hectares in

Bahia, in north-eastern Brazil, where it hopes eventually to develop a

plantation on 20,000 hectares of mostly abandoned cattle-grazing land. The

pilot will determine whether the species can adapt to the area‟s soil and

climate, as well as other factors like how best to work with local

communities.

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Status of Jatropha in North America

USA

Green Gold Ray Energies, Inc. (GRYE) has entered into a joint venture with

the South Texas Jatropha Farmsthat has been farming and cultivating

Jatropha. The company is purchasing the first 25 acres of farm lands

expanding its jatropha plantations in the U.S.A. GRYE will construct a

biodiesel oil conversion plant, a refinery and a laboratory on a 2 acre site.

(Sep 2008).

Fort Lauderdale-based Global Energy Trading Company, Getco, is among

the Jatropha pioneers in South America, with plans to invest tens of millions

of dollars in Peru, Colombia and may be in Brazil. International Clean

Energy of Palm Beach Gardens is testing different varieties to figure out

which are best suited forSouth Florida conditions to yield the most biodiesel.

(Jul 2008).

In Wyoming, Jatropha Biofuels Technologies said that initial tests showed

that its Jatropha oil extraction will produce more than 20 percent more oil

over current, expeller technologies, and is more scalable. The technology

uses high pressure gas to maximize extraction rates (Mar 2008).

Amelot Holdings, Inc. and Pan-Am Biofuels, Inc., a Utah-based company

with bio-fuel feedstock plantations located in Costa Rica, have announced a

joint venture partnership to develop a 2,000-acre Jatropha plantation in

Guanacaste, Costa Rica. (Aug, 2007).

Allegro Biodiesel has commenced processing of Jatropha oil into biodiesel

on a test basis. (Jul 2008).

There are about 100 biodiesel refineries operating below capacity and

another 47 idle refineries in the United States, alone, according to Dr

Charles Fishel, Chairman of Abundant Biofuels Corporation. To help solve

this problem, Abundant Biofuels is providing standardised long-term

contracts of five or 10 years in multiples of 50,000 barrels of Jatropha oil

along with financial assistance. Several US biodiesel refiners soon will be

announcing that they have secured 10-year Jatropha oil contracts with

Abundant Biofuels.(June 2009).

SG Biofuels has identified several strains of cold tolerant Jatropha capable

of thriving in climates previously thought to be outside of the crop's

preferred subtropical habitat. Using the strains, the company has initiated a

breeding programme to develop Jatropha as an oil-producing crop in the

colder climates of the United States. The strains are included among

thousands of variations of Jatropha curcas the firm has collected from a

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range of climates and geographies around the world as part of its Genetic

Resource Center, the world's largest, most diverse collection of Jatropha

genetic material (June 2009).

Mexico

The centre of Jatropha origin is Mexico and South America. The agro climatic

conditions prevailing in Mexico are conducive for Jatropha cultivation on

commercial scale.

The country has passed a law to encourage development of biofuels that don't

threaten food security and the agriculture ministry has since identified some 2.6

million hectares of land with a high potential to produce Jatropha (March 2009).

The Jatropha activities are:

Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. has acquired approximately 5,000 acres of

land in the Mexican State of Yucatan through its subsidiary GCE Mexico I, LLC.

According to the company, the project will cover over 4.0 million Jatropha trees,

which will produce oil and biomass for more than 30 years. (May, 2008).

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Status of Jatropha Oil Production in India

Jatropha is seen as the big savior in India after the food-vs.-fuel controversy for all

other biofuel feedstocks.

Jatropha incentives are a part of India‟s goal to achieve energy independence by

the year 2012.

The Government of India has identified 400,000 square kilometers (98 million

acres) of land where Jatropha can be grown, hoping it will replace 20 percent of

India‟s diesel consumption by 2011 This can provide much needed employment to

the rural poor of India and also serve as a means to energy independence to India.

(Mar 2008).

A Bear Stearns analysis recently found that U.S. farmers only have the capacity to

replace about 7% of the country's gasoline with corn-based ethanol, despite a new

federal renewable-fuels target of 15% by 2017. To reach that goal, the U.S. would

likely have to find a lot more land. India, by contrast, has millions of acres of waste

land which could be used for Jatropha plantations.

Jatropha plantations have the potential to do well in India due to the following

reasons:

India is a densely populated country and the fallow land holding per farmer

is 1 to 10 acres. A farming family can take care of this size of land very

easily, as far as plantation, harvesting as well as security is concerned. The

infrastructure of roads, housing and market are already available in the

villages. This infrastructure substantially reduces cost, as compared to

plantations on barren, vast, inhabited lands.

Most of the farming in India is organic by default. Cow dung is used as

manure for Jatropha, and it is the cow dung which has made all the

difference in low mortality of saplings, good yield, less pests etc.

In India, the day-to-day expenses are quite low and a daily per capita income

of US$ 3, in rural areas, is still an acceptable income in many regions. This

makes the Indian farmer far more affordable as compared to farmers in

developed world.

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Optimal Locations of Jatropha Plantation in Indian States

Uttarpradesh

Allahabad

Kaushambhi

Pratapgarh

Raebareily

Madhya Pradesh

Ujjain

Shajapur

Ratlam

Mandsaur

Maharashtra

Nasik

Ahmadnagar

Aaurangabad

Andhra Pradesh

Adilabad

Karimnagar

Nalgunda

Medak

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Genetic Engineering in Jatropha

Biomass and oil yield can be improved by exploiting genetic engineering focusing

on the optimization of enzymes involved in oil biosynthesis and biomass

production. However, a prerequisite for the implementation of genetic

manipulation of Jatropha is the establishment of a robust and efficient

transformation procedure. The research will focus on recent developments in

establishing a transformation procedure for Jatropha and present strategies to

improve oil quality and yield by genetic engineering.

Genetic improvement of Jatropha curcas adaptability and oil yield

Genetic improvement of Jatropha curcas should be an arena that needs to be looked

into to develop varieties having desirable characters like seed and oil yield,

resistance to pests and adaptability to different agro-climatic condition. Future

strategies should be network based and should focus on selecting plants showing

positive traits and improve upon them by conventional and molecular breeding and

multiply them on large scale by micro-propagation technique.

Approximately 300 accessions of Jatropha curcas accessions were collected from

different parts of the country along with their passport data. Among the accessions,

depending upon yield and oil content, 23 accessions were identified as elites. All

the selected and wild accessions are being tested in multi-locational trials for

performance evaluation and for location specific suitability. Scientific innovation

and relevance: This research will help identify elite plants having desirable traits

suiting to different agro-climatic regions and will further help in breeding

programme. Development of micropropagation protocol will further help generate

true type plants to be planted on large scale, necessary for success of biodiesel

programme.

Results - Out of the many different provenances collected from different parts of

the country, field trials are underway for identification of drought / salinity

germplasm. Molecular techniques are being used for determining genetic diversity

among the selected germplasm. DNA finger printing studies using AFLP

(Amplified fragment length polymorphism) / RAPD (Random Amplified

Polymorphic DNA) reveal significant differences among the germplasm. With

AFLP 8-10% polymorphism and with RAPD, 14-16% was found among the 20

elite accessions studied. Micropropagation protocol for Jatropha curcas was

developed using shoot tip cultures of the elite germplasm selected and have been

successfully transplanted in the field after hardening for performance evaluation.

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Direct organogenesis was also achieved. Genetic transformation trials are in

progress.

Full Title: Genetic Improvement of Jatropha curcas adaptability and oil yield

Affiliation: Discipline of Phytosalinity, Central Salt and Marine Chemicals

Research Institute, Gujarat, India.

Author: Muppala Parandhami Reddy et al.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of biofuel plant

Jatropha curcas using kanamycin selection

Abstract

Establishment of an efficient transformation system is a prerequisite for genetic

improvement of Jatropha curcas, a promising biodiesel feedstock plant, by

transgenic approach. In this study an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated

transformation protocol using cotyledon explants from Jatropha curcas seeds was

developed. The integration and expression of the transgenes in the putatively

transformed Jatropha curcas plants was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction

(PCR), Southern blot analysis and glucuronidase (GUS) activity staining. In the

protocol used, the critical step for successful transformation is that the selective

agent kanamycin (20 mg/L) is not included in the callus-inducing medium within

the first 4 weeks after co-cultivation with Agrobacterium.

Authors: Jingli Pan, Qiantang Fu, and Zeng-Fu Xu.

Source: African Journal of Biotechnology, September 2010.

Asiatic Centre for Genome Technology Sdn Bhd (ACGT), and Synthetic

Genomics Inc. (SGI), a privately held company dedicated to

commercializing genomic-driven solutions to address global energy and

environmental challenges are conducting an in-depth genomic,

physiological and biochemical analysis of Jatropha.

Terasol Labs is developing Jatropha, euphorbia that produces seeds which

contain up to 40 percent oil. Jatropha is resistant to pests and drought and

grows vigorously in many soil types. In its native habitat it is a weed.

Jatropha oil, once extracted, can be used to fuel diesel engines with little or

no further preparation or additives. Terasol is not genetically modifying

Jatropha, but is looking for suitable cultivars via tissue propagation and

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hybridization. These Jatropha strains are maximized for their tolerance to

various climates, pest-resistance, and oil yields. In other words, they are

being adapted to survive in ways that no native plants can compete with.

Genetics of Jatropha Plant - The genetics of the Jatropha plant define the

potential production and give us tools to breed more productive, healthier

plants. In order to start breeding the genetic variation needs to be assessed.

Several parties have done genetic studies amongst others the University of

Newcastle. The first results are that the variation within the plants from India

and Thailand is low and the same holds for the African gene pool. The

Indian sources differ slightly from the African sources. More genetic

variation is expected in the centre of origin (Meso America). Wageningen

University has set up a worldwide screening programme (JEP - Jatropha

curcas evaluation Programme) where genetic variation is mapped.

Engineered Trait Loci technology

Agrisoma Biosciences Inc. a private agricultural biotechnology company is using

its leading edge ETL technology to create new crop varieties engineered for high

value applications such as biofuel production and renewable manufacturing

feedstock.

Agrisoma‟s ETL (Engineered Trait Loci) technology is a patent protected

technology that allows efficient stacking and expression of multiple traits in any

crop species. The ETL technology would result in development of engineered crop

chromosomes that could carry multiple traits in a highly productive and stable

genetic location. The ETL technology is currently being used to engineer oil

composition, oil content and yield to develop an efficient plant variety and ETL-

engineered crops are now undergoing field trials at multiple locations.

Jatropha is known to have significant yield advantage over most other biodiesel

crops. Moreover it grows with minimal input and is a perennial crop that can

provide more than ten times the yield of oils when compared to annual crops. The

development of precise means to deliver, manage and express new crop traits in

Jatropha, would be a monumental and unprecedented achievement in the field of

agricultural science and renewable energy technology.

During Chinese High Technology exhibition – 2009, Agrisoma Biosciences signed

a strategic partnership agreement with Hongqiu Bioenergy Inc for development

and commercialization of Jatropha. The companies have collaborated for the

development of genetically modified Jatropha curcas varieties with superior

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characteristics that are expected to yield high quality biodiesel fuel for the global

biodiesel market. The implementation process is in the pipeline, if the technology

is transferred successfully from lab to the field, it would definitely revolutionize

the global biodiesel industry.

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Present Market Scenario for Jatropha

According to GEXSI‟s global market study on Jatropha, South-East Asia has a

higher than average proportion (> 45% of used land) of large scale Jatropha

operations (> 5 ha), especially in the Philippines, China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

This trend will become more dominant in the future. More than 60% of areas in

Asia are expected to be large scale operations by 2013. In India, on the other hand,

Jatropha cultivation takes place on a very small scale. This will prevail in the

future (only app. 25% of areas for large scale projects in 2013) and may be due to

the Indian government strongly supporting small scale schemes. Africa and Latin

America will develop similarly to the global averages, with a high percentage of

very large projects predicted in Brazil and Ghana in 2013.

Source: GEXSI, 2008.

Based on data available from various regions, and from surveys done by

organizations such as GEXSI, it can be inferred that the area under which

Jatropha is cultivated will grow at a CAGR of about 20% for the next 4-5

years. It is expected that there will be a total of about 5 million hectares by

2010 and 13 million hectares by 2015.

The total investment in Jatropha could total close to about US$ 10 billion by

2012.

Many countries around the world actively support Jatropha cultivation, and

such government support is critical for the growth of the Jatropha industry.

Especially during times when the crude price is low and Jatropha biodiesel

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becomes non-competitive, it will be difficult to spur the growth the Jatropha

industry without government support.

Intercropping is widely practiced in the Jatropha industry, specifically owing

to the fact that the yields will be marginal during the first few years. One of

the crops that is being actively considered for intercropping is castor, owing

to the fact that castor can grow in lands that are suitable for Jatropha.

While currently there are few suppliers supplying large-scale quantities of

Jatropha, the list of large-scale suppliers is likely to increase significantly by

middle of 2011 as many large cultivations start yielding oil.

High yielding Jatropha seeds are likely to increase the yields significantly in

the next 4-5 years.

Many companies, which were looking for short term profits and had not

planned for the long haul, are likely to face financial problems and will

likely close down or be acquired within the next 5 years.

Jatropha cultivation will expand beyond India, with Africa becoming the

world‟s leading continent for Jatropha cultivation. Countries in Africa that

will show significant growth in Jatropha cultivation are South Africa,

Mozambique, Mali, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia &

Madagascar.

While currently the Jatropha oil is primarily considered only for biodiesel, in

the next 3-5 years, there will be research results that could provide future

applications for the oil.