Using Wastelands for Growing Biodiesel Plantstock
Posted on Jun 18, 2007 - 11:46am by E. Phil Haley in Biodiesel
A couple of the main arguments against biomass fuels – like biodiesel – are based on the fact that they require the use of a lot of farm land and they have a potentially negative impact on the global food supply. Both arguments are valid.
At least one potential solution, however, might lie with a strange looking plant called Jatropha curcas. The seeds from the poisonous plant, also called Barbados or Physic Nuts (no…I have no idea where those names come from) will yield about four times as much virgin oil per acre than soybeans but about half as much oil per acre than corn. Oh, one more thing, Jatropha plants, which have a forty year lifespan, can be grown almost anywhere; including deserts.
Since ethanol is generally made from corn and biodiesel often derived from soybeans it seems that Jatropha curcas is especially suited to the biodiesel market. As a matter of fact, at least one company, Smiling Earth Energy LLC, is planning major biodiesel refinery projects that will be using Jatropha curcas seed oil for feedstock. As reported in PilotOnline.com, Smiling Earth Energy LLC “has contracted with Mexican farmers to grow jatropha on nearly 1 million acres” to fuel a proposed $532 million biodiesel refinery in Chesapeake, VA along the Elizabeth River’s Southern Branch.
Pretty cool idea. A poisonous plant that grows in the desert being used for fuel. What’s not to like?
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I’d never heard of jatropha…cool
Could be a good idea if this isn’t a dangerous plant. The article says that it’s poisonous? I remember my elders talking about the hype that was the import of Cudzu. look at that blunder now. Only goats will eat it and thats if there is nothing else around. Cattle wont touch it and it is darn near impossible to kill.
There’s no doubt that the plant’s poisonous but, since it’s being grown as a source of fuel, that’s not really an issue. The beauty of Jatropha is that it can be grown on land other than the farmland we rely on for corn, soybeans and other food crops. It also takes the pressure off the food crop markets.
[...] One of the primary criticisms leveled at both ethanol and biodiesel revolves around the food vs. fuel issue. It’s true that nearly all ethanol must be produced from corn, cane or beet sugars but biodiesel can be produced from non-food sources like cooking oil or Jatropha curcas. (If you’ve never heard of Jatropha curcas you’re definitely not alone but you might want to take a look at one of my older posts: Using Wastelands for Growing Biodiesel Plantstock.) [...]