jatropha - biofuel crop

























this is the jatropha plant - saw it at hort park -that has been gaining a lot of attention worldwide as the need to find alternative and cheaper fuels become more pressing because of the escalating prices of petroleum and palm-oil.

this inedible plant is not fussy and it can be grown on land that is not suitable for food crops. the yield is also higher than tradional biofuel crops like corn and sugar-cane. there is also a claim that land used for growing jatropha will increase in fertility.

it takes only two years for the plant to start yielding oil and it can continue to do so for the next forty years. optimal yield comes after the sixth year.

jatropha absorbs large amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and therefore earns carbon credits.

in singapore, a 1.7 hectare farm has been set up in kranji to grow this plant. also, a biofuel plant using jatropha as feedstock has been built at jurong island and production of biofuel is expected to start this year.