Jatropha Curcas
That's the name of the first plant we'd like to profile for all of us interested in future fuel growth. Jatropha is a genus of around 150 different plants, shrubs, and trees. Go Diesel USA wants to examine just Jatropha curcas, because it's been posited by many to be a future front-running feedstock in biodiesel production. The lush, yet rather dull looking plant can grow up to around 20 feet tall, among other feats. What curcasdoes best though, is growing in a wide range of climates and soils. The hearty plant can grow and produce yields (the seeds are most important for their high oil content used for biodiesel production) even in desert climates, and rocky soils, although the more stress put on the plant to survive logically diminishes the yield of the plant. There is still quite a bit of controversy surrounding the pros and cons of growing Jatropha curcas, specifically it's cultivation in 3rd world nations, it still has an awesome chance to prevail as a leader in future bio-fuel production. Jatropha Oil is obtained by pressing the seeds of the plant. Many diesel vehicles can potentially run right off of (non-transesterfied) Straight Jatropha Oil (SJO), but much of the oil is put through a process of transesterfication by biodiesel production facilitities, which allows a 'cleaner' more efficient burning in diesel engines.
Share It 
