Jatropha
The Jatropha Tree
The Jatropha tree is a hearty tree that that will grow where little if anything
else will grow and lives for over 30 years. Each year from maturity the
Jatropha tree provides an abundant supply of non-edible fruit. Inside the
fruit are seeds, about 30% of the seed weight is raw oil.
Through a simple process the raw oil is extracted ready for further processing
leaving a byproduct “seed cake”, which is highly valuable as an organic
fertilizer material.
Crude Jatropha Oil
The raw oil from the seeds is an ideal input oil “feedstock” for the production
of biodiesel, bio-jet fuel or for production of electricity.
Unlike other feedstocks such as corn or soy, Jatropha Curcas meets our most
stringent definition of “sustainable,” because it is inedible and can be grown
on non-agricultural land, including the most arid, marginal land. Because?it is
inedible, it does not compete with the world’s food supply, and it can easily be
grown alongside existing vegetation. Jatropha is a hardy, long-lived perennial
that can help restore degraded landscapes and mitigate against the effects of
climate change.
In addition, Jatrophra Curcas is:
- Lower in cost than any other feasible biodiesel feedstock
- High in oil content, over 30%
- Low in free-fatty-acid content
- Flood-resistant
Mission NewEnergy is a one of the world’s largest cultivator of Jatropha, with
over 194,000 acres under contract farming agreements, being operated by
approximate 140,000 farmers. Using mobile GPS devices in conjunction with its
ERP system, Mission NewEnergy can map acreage with precision, and can adjust
pruning, fertilization, watering and other activities to optimize yield.