Jatropha Research Articles

Jatropha oil methyl ester and its blends used as an alternative fuel in diesel engine

Biomass derived vegetable oils are quite promising alternative fuels for agricultural diesel engines. Use of vegetable oils in diesel engines leads to slightly inferior performance and higher smoke emissions due to their high viscosity. The performance of vegetable oils can be improved by modifying them through the transesterification process. In this present work, the erformance of single cylinder water-cooled diesel engine using methyl-ester of Jatropha oil as the fuel was evaluated for its performance and exhaust emissions. The fuel properties of biodiesel such as kinematic viscosity, calorific value, flash point, carbon residue and specific gravity were found. Results indicate that B25 has closer performance to diesel and B100 has lower brake thermal efficiency mainly due to its high viscosity compared to diesel. The brake thermal efficiency for biodiesel and its blends was found to be slightly higher than that of diesel fuel at tested load conditions and there was no difference of efficiency between the biodiesel and its blended fuels. For Jatropha biodiesel and its blended fuels, the exhaust gas temperature increased with the increase of power and amount of biodiesel. However, its diesel blends showed reasonable efficiencies, lower smoke, CO2, CO and HC emissions. Keywords: Jatropha oil, bio-fuels, transesterification, performance and emission characteristics DOI: 10.3965/j.issn.1934-6344.2008.02.032-038 Citation: Hanumantha Rao Y V, Ram Sudheer Voleti, Hariharan V S, Sitarama Raju A V. Jatropha oil methyl ester and its blends used as an alternative fuel in diesel engine. Int J Agric & Biol Eng. 2008; 1(2): 32

Moisture-dependent physical properties of jatropha fruit

The physical properties of fruit are important in designing and fabricating equipment and structures for handling, transporting, processing and storage, and also for assessing quality. The study was conducted to investigate some physical properties of jatropha fruit at various moisture levels. The average length, width, thickness and 1000 mass were 29.31 mm, 22.18 mm, 21.36 mm and 1522.10 g, respectively, at moisture content of 7.97% d.b. The geometric mean diameter increased from 24.03 to 24.70 mm and the sphericity varied between 0.82 and 0.83 as moisture content increased from 7.97% to 23.33% d.b., respectively. In the same moisture range, the bulk and true densities decreased from 278 to 253 and 546 to 435 kg m −3, respectively, whereas the corresponding porosity also decreased from 49.08% to 41.84%. As the moisture content increased from 7.97% to 23.33% d.b., crushing strength was decreased from 275 to 79 N, whereas the angle of repose and surface areas were found to increase from 36.41° to 41.72° and 1815.73 to 1917.59 mm 2, respectively. The static coefficient of friction of jatropha fruit increased linearly against the surfaces of three structural materials, namely plywood (47.81%), mild steel (62.88%) and aluminium (34.82%) as the moisture content increased from 7.97% to 23.33% d.b.

SPRERI experience on holistic approach to utilize all parts of Jatropha curcas fruit for energy

Freshly harvested Jatropha dried fruit contains about 35–40% shell and 60–65% seed (by weight). The fruits are 2.5 cm long, ovoid, black and have 2–3 halves. It has nearly 400–425 fruits per kg and 1580–1600 seed per kg weight. Weight of 100 seeds is about 63 g. Jatropha shells are available after de-shelling of the Jatropha fruit while Jatropha seed husks are available after decortications of Jatropha seed for oil extraction. Seed contains about 40–42% husk/hull and 58–60% kernels. The kernels have about 50% oil. If the oil is extracted by solvent method the oil recovery is more than 95% but in mechanical expeller the oil recovery is about 85% only. If 100 kg of seed is expelled by expeller it will give about 28–30 kg oil. While lot of emphasis is being given on use of bio-diesel, which is only about 17–18% of the dry fruit, not much attention is being given to utilize other components of fruit for energy purposes. At SPRERI holistic approach has been taken to utilize all components of the Jatropha fruit—shell for combustion, hull/husk for gasification, oil and bio-diesel for running CI engines, cake for production of biogas and spent slurry as manure and it has been found that all components of the Jatropha curcas fruit can be utilized efficiently for energy purposes. This paper gives detailed information on the use of different components of J. curcas fruit for energy purposes.

Floral organogenesis of three species of Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae)

Floral organogenesis of three species of the genus Jatropha L. of the family Euphorbiaceae, viz., J. curcas L., J podagrica Hook. and J gossypifolia L., was studied with scanning electron microscope (SEM). The first sepal primordium is initiated in non-median abaxial position and the second one in median adaxial position. Five sepal primordia arise in a 2/5 sequence on the periphery of the floral apex and are initiated anticlockwise or clockwise in different floral buds of the same species. Five petal primordia initiate simultaneously. There are dicyclic stamens in male flowers with the outer whorl of stamens opposite to the petals (obdiplostemony) and inner whorl opposite to the sepals. Two types of stamen development exist in the genus. In J curcas, belonging to subgen. Curcas, five stamen primordia of the outer whorl arise simultaneously at first and then five of the inner whorl initiate simultaneously. In J podagrica and J gossypifolia, belonging to subgen. Jatropha, eight to nine stamen primordia of the two whorls arise simultaneously. In the female flowers, three carpel primordia appear simultaneously. The flowers of these three species are unisexual. In the female flowers, the ovary bulges and the stamens degenerate, whereas in the male flowers, the stamens grow normally but the ovary is absent. The division of the genus with subgenera is supported by the stamen development.

Pertumbuhan Bibit Tanaman Jarak Pagar (Jatropha curcas L.) pada Berbagai Kedalaman dan Posisi Tanam Benih

Germination and growth at seedling stage are critical phases in plant life cycle, especially for physic nut ( Jatropha curcas L.) usually grown in a dry land. Therefore seedling preparation plays an important role in nursery stock production. Position and depth of seed sowing affected the germination process and further seedling growth and development. A Completely Randomized Design with two factors was used in the experiment, i.e., depth of seed sowing (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cm) and seed position (seed with micropyle at the bottom, face-down, and layback). The result showed that position and depth of seed sowing affected the germination and early growth and development of seedling. The effect of seed position on growth and development of seedling persisted until the end of the experiment when the seedlings were two months old. Face-down position with 2 - 3 cm depth represented the best position and depth for seedling growth. Key words: Early seedling growth, micropyle, face-down position, layback position

Use of Jatropha gossypifolia stem latex as a haemostatic agent: how safe is it?

The stem latex of Jatropha grossypifolia is routinely used by local and some urban dwellers in Southern Nigeria to stop bleeding from nose, gum and injured skin. Safety of its use was investigated in different groups of wistar albino rats using different doses of the latex. Different numbers of incisions were made on the thighs of different groups of animals and different doses of the stem latex applied. The procedure was repeated on daily basis for 18 days. The control group was not incised. The animals were sacrificed and the effect of the stem latex on blood biochemistry and haematology were assessed using standard techniques. There were no statistical significant differences (P>0.05) in the result of biochemical and haematological parameters obtained for the control and experimental animals. The findings of this study showed that the stem latex of Jatropha gossypifolia has no harmful effects. Key words: Safety, Jatropha gosssypifolia, stem latex, biochemical, haematological, parameters.

Constituents of Jatropha unicostata

Constituents of Jatropha unicostata

Rare jatropha multifida intoxication in two children

Two children were admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) after ingesting a large amount of fruit of a plant identified as Jatropha multifida . They were mildly obtunded, had intractable vomiting, and seemed dehydrated. Intravenous fluid replacement and urine alkalinization were initiated. After stabilization, their 5-day hospital stays were uneventful except for a subclinical rise of liver enzymes. Jatropha species contain the toxalbumin ricin, which causes severe vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration, shock, and renal and hepatic impairment. Ricin also has cardiotoxic and hemolytic effects and several deaths have been documented. Children are attracted by the shape and the color of the Jatropha fruits. Mortality can be prevented by immediate fluid and electrolyte replacement.

99/02729 Development of industrial biocoal for industrial furnaces and kilns

Freshly harvested Jatropha dried fruit contains about 35–40% shell and 60–65% seed (by weight). The fruits are 2.5 cm long, ovoid, black and have 2–3 halves. It has nearly 400–425 fruits per kg and 1580–1600 seed per kg weight. Weight of 100 seeds is about 63 g. Jatropha shells are available after de-shelling of the Jatropha fruit while Jatropha seed husks are available after decortications of Jatropha seed for oil extraction. Seed contains about 40–42% husk/hull and 58–60% kernels. The kernels have about 50% oil. If the oil is extracted by solvent method the oil recovery is more than 95% but in mechanical expeller the oil recovery is about 85% only. If 100 kg of seed is expelled by expeller it will give about 28–30 kg oil. While lot of emphasis is being given on use of bio-diesel, which is only about 17–18% of the dry fruit, not much attention is being given to utilize other components of fruit for energy purposes.At SPRERI holistic approach has been taken to utilize all components of the Jatropha fruit—shell for combustion, hull/husk for gasification, oil and bio-diesel for running CI engines, cake for production of biogas and spent slurry as manure and it has been found that all components of the Jatropha curcas fruit can be utilized efficiently for energy purposes. This paper gives detailed information on the use of different components of J. curcas fruit for energy purposes.

Perspectives de gestion biointensive des foreurs des tiges de sorgho en afrique de l'ouest

Des etudes ont ete menees de 1993 a 1995 a Samanko (Mali) sur l'elevage et le piegeage sexuel de Busseola fusca Fuller (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae), et sur l'effet insecticide d'extraits de Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae) sur B. fusca et Sesamia calamistis Hampson (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae). Une technique d'elevage des larves de B. fusca a ete developpee sur milieu meridique a base de pois chiche et feuilles de sorgho. Avec moins de 10 g de milieu par larve, 7,3 generations annuelles successives furent obtenues. Les taux de mortalite larvaire et nymphale ont ete inferieurs a 15 %. La fecondite par femelle, avec oviposition sur supports artificiels fut de 300 a 500 oeufs. Des tests sur milieu nutritif artificiel ont montre un effet larvicide de l'huile brute extraite des graines de J. curcas, aux concentrations de 0,01% et 1% sur respectivement B. fusca et S. calamistis, et de sa fraction esters de phorbol a la concentration de 0,025% sur S. calamistis. Des essais de piegeage sexuel au moyen de capsules de pheromones synthetiques, et de pieges a eau constitues d'assiettes en aluminium ont montre qu'on pouvait suivre de facon satisfaisante les vols de papillons mâles de B. fusca. Une amelioration de leur efficacite est cependant necessaire avant d'envisager leur utilisation pour la lutte. (Resume d'auteur)

Flavonol Glycosides fromJatropha variegata

Five flavonoids were isolated from stems of Jatropha variegata (Forsk.) Vahl, the structures of which were identified as kaempferol 3-O-α-rhamnopyranoside, 3-O-α-L-arabinopyranoside, 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, 3-O-β-D-galactopyranoside and kaempferol.

A coumarino-lignan from Jatropha glandulifera

An investigation of the roots of Jatropha glandulifera revealed the presence of a coumarino-lignan, along with jatropholone-A and fraxetin.

Notes on African Euphorbiaceae: VIII

In Acalypha a description is amplified. A. poiretii Spreng. is recorded for W. Africa and the allomorphic flowers of A. segetalis Muell. Arg. are described. In Croton, a new record for E. Africa is reported. In Drypetes, D. sclerophylla Mildbr. is upheld, and two recent gatherings from Tanzania are referred to it. In Erythrococca, 2 new species are described, 7 reductions to synonymy are made, a new record for E. Africa is reported, and the problem of 'E. sansibarica' is cleared up. In Jatropha, a new record for Kenya is reported. In Maesobotrya, a reduction to synonymy is made. In Micrococca, a new record for Kenya is reported. In Pseudolachnostylis, two species are reduced to varietal status under P. maprouneifolia Pax. Thecacoris is reported as a genus new to the Kenya flora.