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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a "miracle" biofuel. A simple shrubby tree belonging to Central America, it was wildly promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that could grow on degraded lands throughout Latin America, Africa and Asia.
A jatropha rush occurred, with more than 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) planted by 2008. But the bubble burst. Low yields caused plantation failures almost all over. The after-effects of the jatropha crash was polluted by accusations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon reduction claims.
Today, some researchers continue pursuing the evasive guarantee of high-yielding jatropha. A return, they state, is reliant on splitting the yield problem and resolving the harmful land-use concerns linked with its initial failure.
The sole remaining large jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner claims high-yield domesticated ranges have actually been accomplished and a new boom is at hand. But even if this comeback falters, the world's experience of jatropha holds crucial lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.
At the start of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, a simple shrub-like tree belonging to Central America, was planted across the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its promise as a sustainable source of biofuel that could be grown on broken down, unfertile lands so as not to displace food crops. But inflated claims of high yields failed.

Now, after years of research and advancement, the sole remaining big plantation focused on growing jatropha remains in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, declares the jatropha comeback is on.

"All those business that failed, adopted a plug-and-play design of scouting for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to commercialize it, you need to domesticate it. This belongs of the process that was missed [during the boom]," jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian informed Mongabay in an interview.

Having learned from the mistakes of jatropha's previous failures, he says the oily plant might yet play an essential function as a liquid biofuel feedstock, lowering transport carbon emissions at the international level. A brand-new boom might bring fringe benefits, with jatropha also a prospective source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.

But some scientists are doubtful, keeping in mind that jatropha has already gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They caution that if the plant is to reach full potential, then it is important to discover from past errors. During the very first boom, jatropha plantations were hindered not just by poor yields, but by land grabbing, logging, and social issues in countries where it was planted, consisting of Ghana, where jOil runs.

Experts likewise recommend that jatropha's tale offers lessons for researchers and entrepreneurs exploring promising new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.

Miracle shrub, significant bust

Jatropha's early 21st-century appeal came from its guarantee as a "second-generation" biofuel, which are sourced from lawns, trees and other plants not obtained from edible crops such as maize, soy or oil palm. Among its several purported virtues was an ability to grow on abject or "marginal" lands