Is Jatropha The New Wonder Feedstock For Biodiesel?

In line with JatrophaWorld 2008 to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 23-24 January 2008, KnowGenix has released a position paper called 'Sustainable Biodiesel Feedstock. Jatropha: Strategic Option'.

Author of the new position paper, Dr. R. Rajagopal of KnowGenix, explains "the biofuel business is a complex web continuously reacting to the traditional oil business, as rising oil prices spur demand for biofuels."

The focus is now on non food crops with Jatropha rediscovering itself as the new pin up boy of alternative energy industry proponents. Contemporary trends across the world indicate a pronounced shift towards Jatropha as a more viable and sustainable feedstock for biodiesel compared to other food based crops.

"The worldwide development of biofuels has raised a myriad of issues by stakeholders. Complex trade-offs are demanded by the production, distribution, and utilization of biofuels and its feedstocks. Besides, the biofuel economics has become so location specific for its sustainability that it rules out the possibility of common approaches," said Dr Rajagopal.

The position paper attempts to answer several questions about Jatropha. These include:

• Is Jatropha really the best among energy crops and does it leave the least environmental footprint?
• What are the impacts of large scale Jatropha plantations being planned in developing nations to feed the energy demands of the western world?
• How does the Jatropha economics work for the developing nations?
• To what extent is it more conducive in reducing GHG emissions?
• Is Jatropha cultivation and propagation sustainable globally to feed the needed market demand?
• Is biotechnology the answer to optimize Jatropha cultivation?

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