<i>Jatropha curcas:</i> A potential source for tomorrow' s oil and biodiesel

Abstract

Abstract Greenhouse gas emission (GHG) is the driving force for global climate change. Deforestation accounts for over 20% of the world's GHG emission and leaves behind deforested areas. It is of utmost importance to revert these areas in a way that carbon is sequestered again. Jatropha curcas, a perennial tree or shrub, is capable of growing on such degraded land and eventually reclaim it. In addition to providing biodiesel of high quality it has several other uses of economic importance. There is an edible genotype of J. curcas that exclusively grows in Mexico. Fatty acid composition of both toxic and non‐toxic genotypes mirrors that of most conventional plant oils used for biodiesel production. Biodiesel produced from J. curcas oil meets all the requirements stipulated by the EU‐Standard EN‐14214. As J. curcas is still a wild plant, initiation of systematic selection and breeding programmes is a prerequisite for sustainable utilization of this plant for oil and biodiesel production.