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About Jatropha Trees
and Plants
Jatropha Curcas is considered as the best source of bio
fuel among the various plant based fuel resources spread across the globe.
With the depletion of the traditional fuel sources.
Jatropha Curcas is a drought resistant plant and has wide adaptability to
varied climate and soil. The Seeds of Jatropha Curcas contain viscous oil
of about 28 to 35 % by its weight. The oil which is extracted from the
seeds using a expeller is then trans-esterified to convert it into bio
diesel fuel which can be used as a substitute for fossil fuel.
The demand of oils as an energy source has been rapidly increasing and the
mismatch between the demand and supply of oil seeds has initiated various
stakeholders in the form of farmers, agro based industries, corporate
sectors and, NGO's to go for large scale plantations with Jatropha Curcas
as a commercial oil crop.
The various other uses of Jatropha Curcas other than bio fuel source
includes soap production, Organic fertilizer, Medicinal Source, Pest
control, etc. This makes Jatropha Plant a unique crop among the various
bio fuel plant sources.
The planting of jatropha as a living hedge has only positive environmental
effects, as it protects the soil from wind erosion. The roots of the plant
bind the topsoil, so it is less vulnerable to the wind (responsible for
30% of soil degradation). When planted in hedges, the wind blows soil to
accumulate at the base of the plants, forming boundaries along the ground.
This holds in water, allowing more absorption of water into the soil and
consequently less loss of soil carried away by surface runoff. The roots
of the plants also break up the earth which can become compacted during
the dry season, causing high surface runoff when the rains come. This
again allows more infiltration of water into the soil. The production of
good quality fertiliser as a by-product of oil production will also act to
improve soils and agricultural production (small scale gardening).
As jatropha is inedible even by animals (except when the plants are
seedlings), the jatropha hedges will also protect gardens from damage due
to animals, which accounts for between 5 & 10 % of losses of produce.
As jatropha can flourish in the Sahel climate, surviving on less than
400mm rainfall per year and resistant to drought and pests, it has the
potential to contribute to the fight against desertification. The soil
protection properties and ease of propagation mean it is well suited to
being planted on land that has been lost through deforestation or
desertification.
Jatropha has also many comparative advantages over diesel in terms of the
environment. The most obvious is that using jatropha oil as a fuel creates
a closed CO2 cycle, i.e. when the oil is burned CO2 is given out into the
atmosphere. But when the next crop of jatropha grows, it takes the CO2
back out of the atmosphere. Therefore there is no net release. With diesel
combustion however, the CO2 that was locked up inside the fuel millions of
years ago is released, but there is no absorption. So the jatropha helps
to reduce the climate change. |