Multinationals to gauge Jatropha potential

The potential of the Jatropha plant to meet booming demand for biofuels is set to come under the microscope after biofuels specialist Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Company, chemicals giant Bayer CropScience and car manufacturer Daimler announced they are joining forces to assess the plant's viability as a major source of biodiesel.

Advocates of Jatropha-based biofuels have argued that the plant offers a more efficient and environmentally sustainable alternative to biofuels based on corn, sugar and other food crops. Its seeds contain more than 30 per cent oil and the plant requires little water and fertilizer, meaning it can be grown on marginal land unsuitable for food crops. Recent studies have shown that it could be grown on approximately 30 million hectares across South America, Africa and Asia.

Dr Rüdiger Scheitza, member of the board of management for Bayer CropScience, said that Jatropha had the potential to deliver sustainable production of Jatropha "without impacting food production" and could prove "key [to] renewable energy strategies of the future".

ADM, Bayer CropScience and Daimler said they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see them co-operate to assess the commercial and environmental viability of Jatropha-based biodiesel.

The three firms will work together to develop production and quality standards for Jatropha-based biofuels. Meanwhile ADM will continue to expand its biorefinery operations, Bayer CropScience will step up efforts to develop a register herbicides, soil insecticides and fungicides for Jatropha plants, and Daimler will continue recent trials to assess Jatropha-based biodiesel's suitability as vehicle fuel.

Professor Dr Herbert Kohler, chief environmental officer of Daimler AG, said that Jatropha-based biodiesel had proved its suitability as a form of transport fuel.

"Our research activities within the last years have proven… that Jatropha biodiesel can be produced with quality similar to biodiesel from oil seeds," he said. "Now, it is time to evaluate the commercial potential of Jatropha biodiesel."