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Earlier this century, jatropha was hailed as a "wonder" biofuel. An unassuming shrubby tree belonging to Central America, it was hugely promoted as a high-yielding, drought-tolerant biofuel feedstock that might 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 led to plantation failures nearly everywhere. The after-effects of the jatropha crash was polluted by allegations of land grabbing, mismanagement, and overblown carbon decrease claims.
Today, some researchers continue pursuing the evasive promise of high-yielding jatropha. A comeback, they state, depends on splitting the yield problem and attending to the hazardous land-use concerns linked with its initial failure.
The sole staying large jatropha plantation is in Ghana. The plantation owner claims high-yield domesticated varieties have actually been attained and a new boom is at hand. But even if this return falters, the world's experience of jatropha holds important lessons for any promising up-and-coming biofuel.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Jatropha curcas, an unassuming shrub-like tree native to Central America, was planted throughout the world. The rush to jatropha was driven by its pledge as a sustainable source of biofuel that might be grown on degraded, unfertile lands so as not to displace food crops. But inflated claims of high yields failed.

Now, after years of research study and advancement, the sole remaining large plantation focused on growing jatropha is in Ghana. And Singapore-based jOil, which owns that plantation, claims the jatropha resurgence is on.

"All those companies that failed, embraced a plug-and-play design of scouting for the wild varieties of jatropha. But to advertise it, you require to domesticate it. This belongs of the procedure that was missed [throughout the boom]," jOil CEO Vasanth Subramanian told Mongabay in an interview.

Having found out from the mistakes of jatropha's past failures, he says the oily plant might yet play an essential role as a liquid biofuel feedstock, decreasing transport carbon emissions at the worldwide level. A new boom could bring additional benefits, with jatropha also a potential source of fertilizers and even bioplastics.

But some scientists are doubtful, noting that jatropha has already gone through one hype-and-fizzle cycle. They warn that if the plant is to reach full potential, then it is essential to learn from previous errors. During the first boom, jatropha plantations were hampered not only by poor yields, but by land grabbing, logging, and social issues in countries where it was planted, including Ghana, where jOil operates.

Experts likewise suggest that jatropha's tale uses lessons for scientists and business owners checking out appealing brand-new sources for liquid biofuels - which exist aplenty.

Miracle shrub, major bust

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