Sunday, May 11, 2008
Jatropha Biodiesel: Too expensive a proposition?

According to some new scientific reports, the Jatropha plant, which
can be processed to make biodiesel which is grown in various parts of
India, can cause great harm to the soil in which it’s grown. Not only
that, Jatropha cultivation can also harm aquatic life, and if consumed
by children, it can cause skin cancer and brain damage.

Researchers say that Jatropha oil contains tumour-promoting
substances, and it is extremely dangerous for the human skin. And if
consumed by children, Jatropha seeds â€" just four or five of them â€" can
cause death.

With its 37 percent oil content, Jatropha has been touted as a ‘wonder
plant,’ especially since it can grow on wastelands where nothing else
will grow, and since its oil can be used in conventional diesel
engines with very little modification.

Since Jatropha is being cultivated in many Indian states, and since
the plant’s long-term impact on the environment has not been studied
fully, environmentalists say that there is a need for great caution
while proceeding ahead with any new Jatropha plantations. Maybe
Jatropha-derived biodiesel as a replacement for the conventional
diesel will be too expensive a proposition after all…

http://www.indiaautomotive.net/2008/05/jatropha-biodiesel-too-expensive.html