A report in the New York Times yesterday said renewable, alternative energy is about to recover from the 2008 market meltdown, especially solar power and next-generation biofuels, while wind will continue to rely on government support. “Biofuel executives … speak of an inevitable turn from corn-based ethanol into more efficient cellulosic feedstocks like sugarcane, switchgrass, and wood waste – all spurred by an infusion of capital from big oil companies and large timber and farming concernsâ€, said the article.
Speaking of new-generation biofuels, SG Biofuels today announced it 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. Utilizing the strains, the company has initiated a breeding program to develop Jatropha as an oil-producing crop in colder climates of the United States.
The strains are included among thousands of variations of Jatropha curcas the firm has collected from a range of climates and geographies around the world as part of its Genetic Resource Center, which the company says is the world’s largest, most diverse collection of Jatropha genetic material.
“While Jatropha is known to thrive in warm, tropical climates, its efficacy and yield in colder regions has been considerably lower,” said Kirk Haney, President and CEO for SG Biofuels. “We believe that we have located several strains that can make Jatropha a viable oil-producing crop in a much broader range of climates here in the United States.”
Jatropha curcas is a non-edible shrub that is native to Central America. Its seeds contain high amounts of oil that can be used for a variety of bio-based materials including biodiesel and feedstock substitutes for the petrochemical and jet fuel industries. It can be effectively grown on abandoned lands that are unsuitable for other crops, but its effective growing range has been limited by its lack of tolerance for freezing temperatures.
The company adds that with proper site selection and agronomic practices, an acre can produce yields of 200-300 gallons of extractable oil. In addition, Jatropha has very-low input costs relative to other biofuel feedstocks, which makes the plant profitable with current yields.
This is some good news that the jatropha world will welcome. Of late, as it was for most biofuels, jatropha has been receiving a lot of bad press. Some of the negative news were indeed true, and mostly had to do with exaggerated claims on oil yields and wildly optimistic scenarios that included a plant that required no water, no fertilizer and no maintenance (if they had also said no oil, they would have been more truthful!).
I think it is early days for jatropha. The yields quoted in the article 200-300 gal per acre is possible (but only after the 4th year or so). This yield may not be great-shakes, but it is a start. Hopefully, other varieties / hybrids can produce higher yield.
On jatropha cultivation in colder climes, I am not sure if countries such as the USA are gonna embrace jatropha in the next decade, not at least in a big way. To a very large extent, jatropha cultivation is going to predominate in Africa and Asia