Jatropha – Bio Energy Crop

Jatropha is the plant with numerous possible advantages. As the nonrenewable fuel sources are declining rapidly and the carbon dioxide emission discharged from it contaminates the atmosphere, the world is working towards an alternative fuel to overcome it.

The Jatropha curcas is the plant which can grow in semi desert, little care suffices for its development. It grows both in topical and sub tropical region. The jatropha seed contains 35 percent oil material in it. The oil from jatropha curcas can be used as biodiesel mix approximately 20% without refining. The oil burns with clear smoke-free flame, and was checked successfully as a fuel for easy diesel motor. It is not a food crop because the oil is non-edible. The oil is used as a conventional medicine disinfectant and to treat diseases like cancer, piles, snakebite, paralysis dropsy etc. The seed oil is also utilized for lighting and in soap preparation. It is hardly ever utilized as a live fence in preventing crops from animals and it occasionally used as home separation. It lowers the soil erosion.

The optimum growing conditions for the jatropha curcas plant varies from 1000 to1500 mm yearly rainfall, with temperatures of 20 to 28 C. The soil should be totally free draining with no water logging. But adequate water and nutrition is a needs to for high yield. The jatropha is easy to grow and it can bear the seeds within a year of planting. It offers oxygen for the world and it can grow even in bad soil. It can not stand up to frost.

The Jatropha Electrification is establishing in many countries. Mali is thought about to be among the poorest nations in the world. At Mali, Garalo Jatropha Cooperative (CPP) and the power business ACCESS are the primary organizations developing jatropha growing. The private power business ACCESS is creates and does electrical power sales. Currently 247 households are connected to the micro grid after a payment of $30 as a contribution to the connection expenses. Likewise in India, the Rural Electricity Supply Technology (REST) mission of the Ministry of Power (MOP) planning to produce power for all by 2012. The small scale power generation projects were developed in Chattisgarh, India. It is being run by Winrock International in the Kabir Dham district. This small power system offers 24-hour power supply at the really budget friendly cost of 50 cents per light bulb to bad villagers. It is 17.5 KW capability power plant operates on raw jatropha curcas seed oil.Jatropha is a promising crop for rural development. The jatropha oil illuminate backwoods with electricity. The jatropha planting on the wastelands has the capability to provide 50-60% of the India’s fuel requirements.

The Jatropha curcas plantation in 1 hectare lowers 20 loads of co2 each year. The largest jatropha producing nation in Asia will be Indonesia and India. In Africa, Ghana and Madagascar will be the biggest producers. Brazil will be the largest producer in Latin America. The plantation is a labor extensive procedure hence it produces job for many bad rural people. Above all Jatropha can be used as a Renewable Energy.