Los Angeles, California -- Market research group Business Matchmaking Inc. (BMM) has compiled reports on the multiple uses of the Jatropha plant following its rapid climb up the list of alternative fuels for cars, planes, electricity and other industrial uses.
The multiple by-products from the weed-like plant can eliminate the cost of providing Jatropha oil for refinement and help reverse the inflationary spiral in energy prices, according to the largest producer of Jatropha by acreage, Mission New Energy Ltd, said BMM's 6 May release.
BMM reviewed a two year Yale study that found in jets, Jatropha based fuel eliminated more than 60 percent of harmful emissions..
Mission NewEnergy, Limited, the Australian based company, is now launching in the US, focusing on the non-edible plant as a renewable source of energy and its diverse by-product uses. The firm recently announced a $100-million plus contract to supply sustainability-certified product to a major distributor of refined oil products, said BMM.
The plant produces seeds with an exceptionally high oil content and can be combusted as fuel without being refined. It burns with near-clear smoke-free flame and several studies confirm its compatibility with simple diesel engines.
Among the confirmed Jatropha uses under development that BMM lists are:
1. Jatropha oil cake is a particularly effective organic fertiliser because of its high potassium, phosphorous and nitrogen content.
2. Alkaloid material in the Jatropha latex may have anti-cancerous properties and help prevent and treat various infections and diseases including pneumonia, ulcers and malaria.
3. It is used on livestock fighting rheumatism and skin diseases.
4. The tender wing of Jatropha has a wide range of cleaning uses.
5. Jatropha roots have been found to be an antidote for some snake bites.
6. Silkworms enjoy the Jatropha leaf in their diet.
7. The Jatropha oil softens leather and is used as a machinery lubricant
One use not mentioned by BMM is the use of Jatropha oil in making polyols for polyurethane, which Singapore company Original International Inc. was developing in 2007.
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