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Jatropha: new biofuel source offers great potential

A crop with major potential: the oil of the Jatropha plant, which grows primarily in tropical regions, could be used to produce tomorrow's biodiesel.

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A crop with major potential: the oil of the Jatropha plant, which grows primarily in tropical regions, could be used to produce tomorrow’s biodiesel.

Monheim – Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), Bayer CropScience AG and Daimler AG plan to jointly explore the potential for Jatropha in the biodiesel industry. Jatropha, a tropical plant from the Euphorbia family, is seen by the three partner companies as a promising alternative energy feedstock for biodiesel production. Biodiesel derived from Jatropha nut kernels has properties similar to those of biofuels obtained from oilseeds. It also has a positive CO₂ balance and can thus contribute to protecting the climate.

As Jatropha can be cultivated on barren soil, it does not compete with food crops for land and can provide farmers with an additional source of income.