Comments on: Jatropha: Not a Miracle Biofuel Crop After All?

By: atanu acharya

atanu acharya — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:58:08 +0000

By: Energy Science Fair Projects

Energy Science Fair Projects — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:51:01 +0000

While this experiment in natural energy development was a failure, doesn't mean that there isn't some crop that will be effective and efficient to produce. Kids, you can help find such a plant based fuel by working on energy science fair projects.

By: Don Stookey

Don Stookey — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:04:38 +0000

Interesting water balance analysis. How do the various plant types and oil routes compare on yield of biofuel on a carbon dioxide uptake basis? After all, the stated objective is the carbon balance and cycle. What good is a lot of carbon captured in the plant stalk that likely decomposes into a good bit of methane that is reportedly 20 time worse than carbon dioxide regards global warming? Would it not we be better off with a bio syngas route to biofuels that would use total plant, not just the seed/fruit? The syngas route should eliminate methane and only releases unconverted carbon in the form of carbon dioxide?
Dr. Donald Stookey
Chesterfield, MO USA

By: Hafiz

Hafiz — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:04:19 +0000

My personal experience with oil extraction is claiming that the seed oil content is more than 40% out of 2500 sample I tested. So I think this plant need a little bit of attension and simultaneously support from the international environmental orgnizations to susidize research on all aspects of plantation of this plant.

By: Dayanidhi

Dayanidhi — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:31:34 +0000

There are so many drawbacks in using Jatrpha for bi-fuel production. There are evidences and established facts that, bio-fuels are in use extracted from edible oils. But, in India, what will be the next alternative to fossil fuel consumption.
May I request you to provide the original papers and informatin on Jatropha.
Thanks,
dayanidhi Mishra
Scientist, Krishi Vigyan Kendra,
Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology,
Barchana, Jajpur

By: Energy Science Fair Projects

Energy Science Fair Projects — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:14:07 +0000

Finding the next fuel source for humanity is big business. If you are a young scientist you can help further the search for new energy sources by conducting your own experiments and developing energy science fair projects that test new biological and renewable energy sources.

By: Kirk

Kirk — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:47:21 +0000

It appears that people like comparing apples to oranges. Jatropha requires only a fraction of the input costs of other feedstocks, including water. In addition, to be fair, we need to review the entire lifecycle of the plant; from soil to combustion. This plant: is undomesticated, has a fraction of the land cost of food crops, yield (already higher then soy and canola) and a fraction of the inputs to get that yield (look at soy and canola). Finally, the FAO reports that there are 400m hectares (1m acres) available for rain fed crops.

By: zach

zach — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:15:16 +0000

Can’t feel too hopeful about biofuels. As Nick says, the water-to-fuel ratio is ridiculous.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:08:43 +0000

It is a wild plant still. So comparing it to crops that have been under development for thousands of years is a bit unfair.
If it can grow in areas that are not currently farmed it has potential.
Bio-fuels do work. Look at Brazil. But their sugarcane is a much better plant than anything we have.
Yet.
I have issues with US corn ethanol. It is government regulation to help the “family farmer”. Archer Daniel Midland……
However, I feel bio-fuels do have a bright future.

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:45:26 +0000

Biofuels are probably not the answer.

Oils are hydrocarbons. Hydro from water, carbon from air. All plants photosynthesize, where they break CO2 into sugar via the cation interchange. Anyway, my point being that input=output and you can’t get more out of a plant than you put into it.

And, I mean, seriously, 14,000 liters of water for a single liter of fuel? That’s completely ridiculous from a sustainability standpoint – we need that water to live with, not drive with.