Jatropha curcas
From Potential to Kinetic Energy
Roy Beckford
University of Florida, IFAS,
Lee County, Florida
239-533-7512
fbeck@ufl.edu

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In the beginning there was
biodiesel…
• “The use of Vegetable
oils (Bio Diesel) for
engines may seem
insignificant today. But
such oils may become
in course of time as
important as Petroleum
and Coal tar products
of the present time" -
Rudolf Diesel, 1912

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History of Jatropha curcas (Jc)
• Used by indigenous
peoples in the
Caribbean and Latin
America
• Used for medicine
(internal and external)
and food (seed for
snack; leaves cooked
with meats)

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History of Jatropha curcas (Jc)
• Intercropped with corn
in Haiti
• Leaves used in religious
rituals
• Seeds are crushed in a
mortar and pestle and
boiled to release oil
• This culture has been
practiced for more than
200 years

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Making Connections
• Edison studied
Jatropha curcas
plant to
determine its
potential for
producing rubber
Thomas Edison
Jatropha tree at Edison
1847 - 1931
House, Fort Myers, Fl.
Planted in 1929

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• Potential energy is
energy that is stored
in an object.
• Kinetic energy is
energy of motion.
• Potential and
kinetic energy are
energy partners.

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The State of Jatropha Energy
GEXSI…
Conducted he first
worldwide study
assessing the current
status of Jatropha
projects.
The project was
conducted on behalf
of the WWF, providing
input for the
Roundtable on
Global Exchange for Social Investment
Sustainable Biofuels.

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The State of Jatropha Energy
Hectares under production
GEXSI interviewed 170 experts in 55 countries and collected
160 online questionnaires to create the first online inventory
of Jatropha projects

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The State of Jatropha Energy
• The largest Jatropha projects are government
initiatives that typically work with smallholder
farmers in Asia and Africa.
• The biggest private companies in the field
regarding planted acreages are:
- D1-BP Fuel Crops (Asia and Africa)
- Mission Biofuels (Asia)
- Sunbiofuels (Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique)
- GEM Biofuels (Madagascar)

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The State of Jatropha Energy
• Major oil companies (e.g. in China) are
devising their market entry.
• This suggests that the industry structure
will change dramatically in the next few
years with large (multi-)national energy
and oil companies entering the field.
• What are the implications for smaller
established farmers/investors?

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Document Outline

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