Jatropha Curacas and its derivates including Jatropha biodiesel have been under the spotlight due to their potential to solve the world’s energy crisis. There is more than enough reason to be enthusiastic about Jatropha’s potential as a biodiesel feedstock. However, Jatropha’s commercial viability still remains in question, as there are still many inherent problems associated with Jatropha’s agronomy, Jatropha seeds, Jatropha oil, and Jatropha oil extraction and processing, for which research is still ongoing.

The success of Jatropha hinges upon a greater understanding of the plant, and these challenges so as to meet them and defeat them.

Amongst the challenges to the commercial viability of Jatropha are issues surrounding Jatropha’s agronomy. Jatropha has been proven to grow abundantly in the wild, but it has never been properly ‘domesticated’. What do I mean by this?

Jatropha yields are not predictable. Claims of yields exceeding 15 tons a hectare and more modest claims of 2 tons a hectare can leave the investor confused over the real figures.

There is also a lack of a proper definition on the ideal conditions suited for the growth of Jatropha. With claims that Jatropha can grow in a desert, in cool climes and in degraded land, there is a need for more awareness of research being done into the agronomy of Jatropha to determine the ideal climatic conditions to ensure maximum yields.

In addition to this, the potential environmental impacts of large-scale Jatropha cultivation are not properly understood at all; with more developing countries implementing Jatropha cultivation as a solution to rural poverty, the need to understand Jatropha’s long term impact on the environment is critical to ensure sustainable development.

A lack of understanding and knowledge of the basic agronomics, coupled by a premature push to cultivate Jatropha might result in unproductive agriculture, and the tremendous potential of Jatropha might remain unfulfilled.

In addition to this, there are other challenges to Jatropha’s commercial viability, including challenges of storing and processing Jatropha Oil. As Jatropha oil is highly acidic, it has the tendency to degrade quickly if not handled properly through the supply chain. The degradation of the oil will reduce its commercial value considerably, and increase the cost of processing it. Similarly, Jatropha seeds also have the problem of degrading if not carefully stored and handled from the moment they are picked.

It makes sense that a bio-diesel entrepreneur should focus on the building up relationships with experts in the field, who can provide them with the latest updates on Agronomy findings, as well as other strategic development strategies for the Jatropha cultivation and Biodiesel manufacturing ambitions.

This is why you should be at JATROPHAWORLD 2008!
JATROPHAWORLD 2008 is the summit that everyone who is thinking about investing in Jatropha, who have already invested in Jatropha and who are currently involved with Jatropha projects right now must attend!

Register today, and evaluate for yourself, the commercial potential of Jatropha, and find out new technological developments and findings, which will soon make these challenges a thing of the past.