First of all, let's get introduced to the dark here. Our near-future sans crude oil supply is as grim as people killing each other and oil-mongering nations raging more wars upon the weaker nations rich with crude oil reserves citing lame reasons to veil their cruel selfish intentions.
Jatropha is a seemingly useless plant with poisonous fruits& leaves. It grows everywhere where no ice can naturally freeze and the sun shines too harshly. That means it can grow even at the most unusual places like where not many other crops can survive. Just think of any desolate land with enough soil and 'Bingo!' jatropha can be cultivated easily there without the fear of animals like cattle feeding upon it. But far more intriguing than the properties of the crop itself are the much useful applications it can be put to and the consequent benefits to humanity, Indian citizens in particular are numerous.
Jatropha [Jatropha Curcas sp.] can be grown almost all around the globe wherever there's sufficient sunshine year-round; Indian subcontinent included. It does brilliant in extremely torrid conditions like those in the Deccan Plateau and the Thar Desert. Its genetics have been studied to possess the genes which render it extremely suitable under all extremes of climatic conditions towards the hotter range.
Like all plants, jatropha also requires water to exhibit healthy growth but the level of irrigation required is very less and the humble crop named jatropha can survive well until physical dangers like damage by humans is not initiated to a field of jatropha crop. The property of jatropha being a hardy crop which shows sustenance under the most unfavorable conditions has along with its poisonous self-defence properties made it a strong contender in the future for biodiesel production due to its intrinsic properties.
Jatropha can be processed before being put to an oil press to extract raw bio-oil. Afterwards, it can undergo the process of transesterification (or trans-esterification) under controlled conditions in the laboratory or an oil refinery to yield 100% pure raw biodiesel which itself is not highly suitable for consumption by the present breed of engines.
The process of transesterification usually involves a virgin vegetable oil and a connector like alcohol which react in the presence of a catalyst like an acid or a base; e.g. sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and sodium methoxide to eliminate a water molecule and give out a long-chain fatty acid. This long-chain fatty acid can also be referred to as pure biodiesel as it is 100% of volatile long-chain fatty acids based on vegetable oils. The process is also known to be greatly accelerated by the use of some microorganisms to enhance the reaction by producing relevant enzymes.
While work is on at a global level to improve biodiesel compatibility with our automotive varieties, India where jatropha can grow best, the citizens lack awareness and enthusiasm. India requires Jatropha-aware academicians,farmers & industrialists who together can exploit the promise of Jatropha.
But this is not all about Jatropha-derived biodiesel; it has a brighter promise for our future. Apart from removing our fuel problems on a major scale, it also promises to indirectly dampen any future tensions on the global lines.
