Is Jatropha a promising crop for biodiesel production?
Jatropha is a promising crop for biodiesel production but the technology is still in its infancy , . The development is still in progress but not much has been realised to date. Further, most of the studies focus on Jatropha plantations, oil extraction and biodiesel production.
What are the steps involved in the production of Jatropha biodiesel?
There are few steps involved in the production of Jatropha biodiesel including cultivation, harvesting, fruit pretreatment, oil extraction, oil purification and biodiesel production , ( Fig. 1 ). High production of biodiesel is required to cope with the depletion of current energy sources.
Why do we need to prepare Jatropha seeds before oil extraction?
High production of biodiesel is required to cope with the depletion of current energy sources. Hence, a large amount of Jatropha seeds need to be prepared prior to the oil extraction process in order to meet the demand.
How will manual processing affect the Jatropha industry?
Manual processing, which is time consuming and cost ineffective due to the high reliance on workers, will cause the Jatropha industry to be less sustainable especially when large scale production is envisaged. In Malaysia, a total of 259,906 ha of Jatropha plantation area have already been identified in 2012 .