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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a "miracle" biofuel. A simple shrubby tree native to Central America, it was hugely promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that could grow on abject lands across Latin America, Africa and Asia.
A jatropha rush ensued, with more than 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) planted by 2008. But the bubble burst. Low yields caused plantation failures almost all over. The consequences of the jatropha crash was tainted by accusations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon decrease claims.
Today, some researchers continue pursuing the incredibly elusive promise of high-yielding jatropha. A return, they state, is reliant on breaking the yield issue and dealing with the harmful land-use concerns linked with its original failure.
The sole staying big jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner claims high-yield domesticated ranges have actually been attained and a brand-new boom is at hand. But even if this comeback fails, the world's experience of jatropha holds essential lessons for any appealing 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 could be grown on broken down, unfertile lands so as not to displace food crops. But inflated claims of high yields fell flat.

Now, after years of research study and advancement, the sole remaining big plantation concentrated on growing jatropha remains in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, claims the jatropha resurgence is on.

"All those companies that stopped working, embraced a plug-and-play design of hunting for the wild ranges of jatropha. But to advertise it, you need to domesticate it. This is a part of the process that was missed out on [throughout the boom]," jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian told Mongabay in an interview.

Having discovered from the mistakes of jatropha's past failures, he states the oily plant might yet play an essential role as a liquid biofuel feedstock, minimizing transportation carbon emissions at the international level. A brand-new boom might bring fringe benefits, with jatropha likewise a prospective source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.

But some researchers are hesitant, noting that jatropha has currently gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They warn that if the plant is to reach full potential, then it is vital to gain from past mistakes. During the first boom, jatropha plantations were obstructed not only by poor yields, however by land grabbing, logging, and social issues in nations where it was planted, including Ghana, where jOil runs.

Experts likewise recommend that jatropha's tale offers lessons for researchers and business owners checking out promising brand-new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.

Miracle shrub, significant bust

Jatropha's early 21st-century appeal came from its guarantee as a "second-generation" biofuel, which are sourced from lawns, trees and other plants not stemmed from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its multiple purported virtues was an ability to thrive on degraded or "limited" lands