Jatropha

Introduction

What is Jatropha?

  • Scientifically known as Jatropha curcas L.
  •  Locally known as “tuba-tuba”, “tubing”, “bakod”, “kasla”
  • A non-edible plant that grows mostly in tropical countries like the Philippines
  • drought resistant
  • easily be planted and propagated;
  • One of the higher yielding oil crop

Jatropha curcas or psychic nut has become a new source of biodiesel. It is native to central America but is now found in tropical regions of  Asia and Africa. Various banks and government agencies offer several incentives for jatropha cultivation.

Compared to other vegetable oils like palm oil and sunflower oil, which are expensive, non-edible oil from jatropha curcas is cheaper. The plant can be grown on arid waste lands. It was earlier used for fencing as the seeds are poisonous (contain toxalbumin curcin)  to human beings, most animals and birds. The plants can grow on any type of soil.

The jatropha seeds are black in color ad two centimeters long. If you purchase jatropha seeds,  not all seeds will germinate. Jatropha plants can also grow from cuttings. The jatropha curcas plant is a small tree or a large shrub which can grow to up to 6 m in height. The rate of growth and yield of  seeds depends to a large extent on the rainfall and temperature variations. If the rainfall is plentiful,  the plant will start yielding seeds within a year. On an average a plant has a life of  about 50 years. The flowers are usually pollinated by moths at night which are attracted by the scent of the plant.

Jatropha curcas is mainly cultivated for extraction of  biodiesel and is one of the best sources of  biofuels. In studies of  various biofuels, one hectare of  Jatropha Curcas yields 6-8 MT of  seeds . One ton of  Jatropha Curcas seeds yields 300kg oil products and 700 kg oil cake . Before Jatropha oil is mixed with diesel, it has transesterified. This results in production of glycerine, and disposal of this glycerine is a problem. In India, jatropha oil is used for powering farm equipment and diesel generator. Southern Railway also uses the biofuel jatropha oil

Jatropha oil is also used for making candles and soap. The seed fruit shell is used as a fuel for burning. The seed cake that remains after extraction of  jatropha can be used as organic fertiliser or for animal feed. The government plans to reduce the import of petroproducts by selling a mixture of  diesel with 5% biodiesel. Jatropha seeds which cost Rs 6 a kg a few years ago, cost Rs 26 per kg due to increased demand. (as of  September 2006)


Why Jatropha

  • Jatropha Curcas is resistant to drought and can be planted even in the desert climates, and it thrives on any type of soil, grows almost anywhere; in sandy, gravelly and saline soils.
  •  Jatropha needs minimal input or management.
  •  Jatropha has no inspect pests it is not browsed by cattle or sheep.
  •  Jatropha Curcas can survive long periods of drought.
  •  Jatropha Propagation is easy.
  •  Jatropha Curcas growth is rapid; forms a thick live hedge after only a   month's planting.
  • Jatropha Curcas starts yielding from the second year onwards and continues for 40 years.
  • The Meal after extraction an excellent organic manure
  •  Jatropha Curcas quickly establishes itself and will produce seeds round the year if irrigated.
  •  Other than extracting Bio diesel from Jatropha Curcas plant, the leaf and the bark are used for various other industrial and pharmaceutical uses.
  •  Localized production and availability of quality fuel restoration of degraded land over a period of time.
  • Approximately 31 to 37 % of oil extracted from the Jatropha Curcas seed. It can be used for any diesel engine without modification.

 

Jatropha Parts and Uses

Botanical Features and Potential Uses: This paper describes the botanical features and potential uses of Jatropha curcas for the future.


Uses of Jatopha Curcus:

  1. 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 physicochemical and performance characteristics comparable to diesel. Cars could be run with Jatropha curcas without requiring much change in design.
  2. The oil is used as an illuminant without being refined and it burns with clear smoke-free flame.
  3. Oil has a very high saponification value and is being extensively used for making soap in some countries.
  4. The latex of Jatropha contains an alkaloid known as "jatrophine" which is believed to have anti-cancerous properties.
  5. It is also used as an external application for skin diseases and rheumatism and for sores on domestic livestock. In additon, the tender twigs of the plant are used for cleaning teeth, while the juice of the leaf is used as an external application for piles. Finally, the roots are reported to be used as an antidote for snake-bites.
  6. The bark of Jatropha curcas yields a dark blue dye which is used for colouring cloth, fishing nets and lines.
  7.  Jatropha oil cake is rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium and can be used as organic manure.
  8. Jatropha leaves are used as food for the tusser silkworm.

Jatropha curcus or Ratanjyot, can prove itself a miracle plant by turning waste land into a moneymaking land. It can help to increase rural incomes, self-sustainbility and alleviate poverty for women, elderly, children and men, triabal communities, small farmers.

Products of the exploitation of the Jatropha plant: The uses of jatropha plant is provided in detail.

Soap production:  The glycerin that is a by-product of biodiesel can be used to make soap, and soap can be produced from Jatropha oil itself.  It will produce a soft, durable soap, and the rather simple soap making process is well adapted to household or small-scale industrial activity.

Other Uses: Jatropha oil is also used to soften leather and lubricate machinery

Cultivation and Harvesting

Jatropha Cultivation
Jatropha can be cultivated as monoculture, mixed cropping, or used as live-fences. The Jatropha tree being a perennial crop in a good establishment provides Jatropha yields up to 50 years. Another important requirement is the provision of good drainage. Jatropha trees grow best with ample supplies of hot weather and medium to low rain- fall. Tropical and subtropical districts provide the required temperatures.

The Jatropha trees are susceptible to frost damage. Light to moderate frost will affect only young growth, but a severe frost will cause extensive defoliation and kill some trees.

The plants have a good regulation of water use and growth will survive in soils drying out for some interval. Both the local rainfall and groundwater supplies determine the need for irrigation. Jatropha has been very successful in medium to dry regions of the tropics with annual rainfall of 300-1000 mm. It grows naturally at lower altitudes (0-500 m) in areas with average annual temperatures well above 20c, but can grow at higher altitudes and tolerate slight frost.

Subject to soil quality, nutrient and fertilizer application, water application and macro and micro-environmental variables, JatrophaTech plantations will bloom and produce fruit all year round, making it possible to spread the Jatropha harvest throughout the year.

Jatropha Harvesting
The flowering in Jatropha will depend upon the location and agro-climatic conditions, but generally JatrophaTech's cloned seedlings will produce flowers in the first 4-months and quickly revolve into oil-seeds (fruit).

With current knowledge and using random seed collection, the minimum target oil yield from a Jatropha plantation should be in the 8-10 tons per hectare range. These yields relate to a yearly Jatropha harvest and they tend to be similar in all regions.

This could be greatly increased to 15-25 tons per hectare when utilizing JatrophaTech cloned seedlings.  By cloning the strongest and highest yielding plants, the clones will inherit the characteristics of the initial plants. 


Oil Yield

Oil Yield from Jatropha: Jatropha is being heralded as a tree crop for biodiesel production and increasing incomes of small farmers on marginal lands; however, when you plant crops on marginal lands/soils, you can expect to get marginal yields. Plants mine nutrients from the soil, and to maintain yields, these nutrients need to be replaced. This often means applying chemical fertilizers that even if available, are not affordable to many small farmers. When doing realistic planning on the “real” economics of a Jatropha project, one must also calculate that fact that optimal seed yield of Jatropha won’t be obtainable for several years. Furthermore, marginal farmers most often have access to only a minimal amount to land for food crop production; therefore, what will they have to eat until a sound market for Jatropha oil is developed?

In the literature reviewed, it could not be determined if adequate research on germplasm improvement is taking place to optimize the per plant yield of nuts and oil content. Since Jatropha clones are readily propagated through cuttings, germplasm improvement to optimize yields should be easier than with many other plants/trees. One must be very careful in selecting a good source of Jatropha germplasm for projects since there is little truth in advertising, and presently the best profitability is in selling seed, cuttings or seedlings produced from plants that are probably not genetically improved and may vary widely in yield. Cloning creates cytoplasmic uniformity in plants making them more susceptible to disease and insect infestation.

Furthermore from the literature it is extremely difficult to determine what actual per hectare yield of nuts one can rely upon when growing Jatropha. Most figures cited were projections that often are inflated and over optimistic in order to procure funding for projects. Also, the estimated oil content of the nuts cited in the literature varies considerably, which adds to the difficulty of calculating the profitability of growing Jatropha. Furthermore, optimizing oil extraction from the seeds requires expensive machinery. One can find on page 36 of the IPGRI study a list of yields cited by a number of sources.

In the literature, the reports of yields vary greatly and are confusing. This can be attributed to one or a combination of the following factors including: yields are sometimes given in terms of fruits, seeds, nuts, or kernels; confusing terminology used in making yield estimates, e.g., some are made in tons (t) while others are in metric tons (MT); variance in germplasm; unstipulated spacing between plants; no specific data on soils (ranging from marginal to fertile, and if fertilizer was applied); no information on rainfall and other climatic conditions, and if irrigation is being used

Reports on yields include that from plantations (mostly projected yields), but it is not mentioned if they were established by vegetative propagation or by direct seeding, on fertile or marginal soils, and if the plantations were irrigated or not. When irrigated, Jatropha trees are said to produce seeds throughout the entire year. Often, there is no mention of the age of the trees/shrubs, nor is the variety/cultivar given. Jatropha trees are said to begin producing a measurable amount of nuts at 18 months, but are not expected to reach maturity and optimal yields until after 6 years.

The IPGRI report gives a conversion factor of 30 kg of fruits yielding approximately 18 kg of seed. One might assume that the fruit to seed ratio may be higher in areas of higher rainfall. In one reference, IPGRI estimates that a yield of at least 2-3t (not MT) of seeds/ha can be achieved in semi-arid areas; however, in another citation, IPGRI reports that in Hisar, Bangalore, India, a “quite high seed yield” (1,733 kg/ha or 1.733 MT) was observed in one cultivar. IPGRI confuses the issue by reporting the yield in tons and not MT (this could have been an editing mistake, ed.), while giving the area in hectares.


Oil Extraction

Oil Extraction may be done:

  • Mechanically (by pressing the kernels)
  • Chemically; and
  • Enzymatically

PRODUCTION PROCESS

Transesterification

  • Is the process of chemically reacting a fat or oil with an alcohol in a presence of a catalyst
  • Alcohol used is usually methanol or ethanol
  • Catalyst is usually sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide
  • The main product of transesterification is biodiesel and the co-product is glycerine


Separation
After transesterification, the biodiesel phase is separated from the glycerine phase, both undergoes purification


Jatropha For Biodiesel

Look at the financial costs of commercial Jatropha growing for BiodieselLook at the financial costs of commercial Jatropha growing for Biodiesel.
Jatropha For Biodiesel Figures: Jatropha is seen by many to be the perfect biodiesel crop. It can be grown in very poor soils actually generating top soil as it goes, is drought and pest resilient, and it has seeds with up to 40% oil content.


Advantages

  • It starts producing seeds within 12 months
  • Maxum productivity level is 4-5 years
  • Plant remains useful for around 35-50 years
  • Seeds can produce around 37% oil content
  • Kernels can produce up to 60% oil content
  • Its seeds yield an annual equivalent of 0.75 to 2 tons of biodiesel per hectare
  • It is a NON-FOOD CROP

Disadvantages
The Jatropha Curcas nut and oil are inedible, but its price is not distorted by competing food uses.

Potential gender conflicts.

Second income to make soap

If there is too little water, the plant will not produce the nut.

  • Jatropha needs at least 600mm (23in) of rain a year to thrive. However, it can survive three consecutive years of drought by dropping its leaves
  • It is excellent at preventing soil erosion, and the leaves that it drops act as soil-enriching mulch
  • The plant prefers alkaline soils
  • The cost of 1,000 jatropha saplings (enough for one acre) in Pakistan is about £50, or 5p each
  • The cost of 1kg of jatropha seeds in India is the equivalent of about 7p. Each jatropha seedling should be given an area two metres square.
  •  20 per cent of seedlings planted will not survive
  • Jatropha seedlings yield seeds in the first year after plantation