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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a "miracle" biofuel. An unassuming shrubby tree belonging to Central America, it was extremely promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that might grow on abject lands across Latin America, Africa and Asia.
A jatropha rush took place, with more than 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) planted by 2008. But the bubble burst. Low yields led to plantation failures almost everywhere. The aftermath of the jatropha crash was tainted by accusations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon decrease claims.
Today, some scientists continue pursuing the evasive pledge of high-yielding jatropha. A return, they state, is dependent on cracking the yield issue and attending to the harmful land-use concerns intertwined with its original failure.
The sole remaining big jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner declares high-yield domesticated ranges have been achieved and a brand-new boom is at hand. But even if this resurgence falters, the world's experience of jatropha holds essential lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.
At the start of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, an unassuming shrub-like tree native to Central America, was planted across the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its promise as a sustainable source of biofuel that might be grown on degraded, unfertile lands so as not to displace food crops. But inflated claims of high yields fell flat.

Now, after years of research study and development, the sole remaining large plantation concentrated on growing jatropha remains in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, declares the jatropha return is on.

"All those companies that stopped working, adopted a plug-and-play model of hunting for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to advertise it, you require to domesticate it. This is a part of the procedure that was missed out on [throughout the boom]," jOil CEO Subramanian informed Mongabay in an interview.

Having found out from the mistakes of jatropha's previous failures, he says the oily plant might yet play an essential function as a liquid biofuel feedstock, lowering transportation carbon emissions at the international level. A brand-new boom could bring additional benefits, with jatropha likewise a potential source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.

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

Experts also recommend that jatropha's tale offers lessons for researchers and business owners exploring appealing new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.

Miracle shrub, major bust

Jatropha's early 21st-century appeal originated from its promise as a "second-generation" biofuel, which are sourced from turfs, trees and other plants not derived from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its multiple purported virtues was an ability to flourish on abject or "limited" lands