11 Facts About Jatropha curcas

Jatropha curcas is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that is native to the American tropics, most likely Mexico and Central America.

The specific epithet, "Jatropha curcas", was first used by Portuguese doc Garcia de Orta more than 400 years ago.

Jatropha curcas is a semi-evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 6 metres or more.

Jatropha curcas oil is not suitable for human consumption, as it induces strong vomiting and diarrhea.

Jatropha curcas can be intercropped with other cash crops such as coffee, sugar, fruits and vegetables.

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However, despite its abundance and use as an oil and reclamation plant, none of the Jatropha curcas species has been properly domesticated and, as a result, its productivity is variable, and the long-term impact of its large-scale use on soil quality and the environment is unknown.

The fuel was a 70:30 traditional jet fuel biojet blend produced from Jatropha oil provided by three Mexican producers, Global Energias Renovables, Bencafser S A and Energy JH S A Honeywell's UOP processed the oil into Bio-SPK .

Currently the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used for making biodiesel fuel in Philippines, Pakistan and in Brazil, where it grows naturally and in plantations in the southeast, north, and northeast of Brazil.

Jatropha curcas oil is being promoted as an easily grown biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India.

Jatropha curcas is lauded as being sustainable, and that its production would not compete with food production, but the jatropha plant needs water like every other crop to grow.

The process for analysis of phorbol ester contents in J curcas is done through high-performance liquid chromatography .