HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

 TUBA TUBA/ JATROPHA

Also known as Tubang Bakod in Tagalog, Physic Nut in English or
interchangeably tuba-tuba or Jatropha. The latest craze to hit the agri-business in
the Philippines. Cultivated primarily for its oil to produce biodiesel. The Tuba-tuba
has been planted in the Philippines for quite some time but it was used mainly as
fencing since it animals do not eat the leaves -even the insatiable goat would not eat
the leaves. The ever increasing price of petroleum prices has triggered interest on
the Tuba-tuba or Jatropha.

Jatropha is a drought resistant perennial shrub or small tree that produces seeds up
to 35 years but can live up to 50 years. Jatropha grows fast with little or no
maintenance and reaches the average height of about 3 meters but it can grow up to
8 meters.
Tuba-tuba is one of the most promising sources of bio-fuel today. About 30% of the
Tuba-tuba nut is composed of oil. 3 kilos of Jatropha seeds can produce about 1 liter
of crude Jatropha oil that can then be processed into biodiesel fuel. This oil can be
easily be processed into fuel that can replace or mixed with petroleum based diesel
to save on imported oil and most importantly increase local employment and help
the economy to grow.

Since the Jatropha plant's average height is about three meters, harvesting is easy
and the plant can be grown practically anywhere (ordinary soil, sandy, gravely or
rocky soil) and adapts easily to different climates. Jatropha is resistant to droughts -
it can stand up to two years without rainfall. The tree also has a short gestation
period, it will bear a several fruits starting at about 6 months old and be fully fruit
bearing between one to two years.

Other Benefits of Planting Tuba-tuba/Jatropha:

- Aside from using the seed oil as biodiesel, the extracted oil can also be used in
making soap.
- The Jatropha/Tuba-tuba leaves can be used for fumigating houses to expel bugs.
- The root extract of Jatropha plant can be used as yellow die while the
bark extract as blue dye. While the seeds when pounded can be used for tanning.
- The roots, flowers and latex of the Jatropha plant are said to have medicinal
properties.
- Planting Jatropha reduces soil degradation, erosion and deforestation of
the countryside.

Planting the Tuba-Tuba:

Irrigated land can be planted with up to 2,500 Jatropha plants per hectare - a
spacing or two meters by two meters. But on poor soil, and land dependent only on
rainfall, the plants should be spaced further apart. A month or two before the start of
rainy season is a good time to plant. Jatropha seeds can directly be planted or 2 to 3
month old seedlings from nurseries can be used. Jatropha seedling or cutting is
planted then covered on an up-hill manner to avoid erosion. The plants are watered
for two weeks after transplanting. Seeds can usually be harvested 1 year after
planting. Potential yield ranges from 1.25 to 12.5 tons of seeds per hectare.
Process of Oil Extraction:
Oil is easily extracted from the Tuba-tuba nut by the use of a presser-expeller. This
engine driven machine is simple enough to be operated in provinces by village folks.
The yield is about 1 liter of oil for every 3 kilos of seeds. The oil is then refined to
produce biodiesel.

It has been estimated that for a processing plant (presser-expeller) to

be economically viable and have continuous supply of the Jatropha nut, 5,000
hectares of land have to be planted with Jatropha trees. The trees can also be
planted on coconut plantations - intercropping the Tuba-tuba/ Jatropha under the
coconut trees. With proper weeding, pruning, ploughing and fertilization, up to 20
kilos of seeds can be harvested per tree - up to 0.40 metric tons per hectare for non-
irrigated land and up to 2.5 metric tons of seed per year if the land is irrigated. This
is a boost for coconut farmers and land owners alike.

In the Philippines, planting of Jatropha or Tuba-tuba is on high gear, more so in

Visayas & Mindanao but it can be planted anywhere. The Philippine Coconut
Authority (PCA) is actively promoting its planting to coconut farmers.

With the ever increasing interest in biodiesel fuels, we may one day get used to the
idea that fuel for our vehicles was harvested from local plantations instead of using
imported oil from the Middle East.

Jatropha curcas is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that is
native to the American tropics, most likely Mexico and Central America.[2] It is originally native
to the tropical areas of the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, and has been spread
throughout the world in tropical and subtropical regions around the world,
becoming naturalized or invasive in many areas.[3] The specific epithet, "curcas", was first
used by Portuguese doctor Garcia de Orta more than 400 years ago.[4] Common names in
English include physic nut, Barbados nut, poison nut, bubble bush or purging nut.[3] In
parts of Africa and areas in Asia such as India it is often known as castor oil plant or hedge
castor oil plant.[3]
J. curcas is a semi-evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 6 m (20 ft) or
more.[2] It is resistant to a high degree of aridity, allowing it to grow in deserts.[5][6] It
contains phorbol esters, which are considered toxic.[7] However, edible (non-toxic)
provenances native to Mexico also exist, known by the local population as piñón
manso, xuta, chuta, aishte, among others.[8][9] J. curcas also contains compounds such
as trypsin inhibitors, phytate, saponins and a type of lectin[10][11] known as curcin.[12]
The seeds contain 27–40% oil[13] (average: 34.4%[14]) that can be processed to produce a
high-quality biodiesel fuel, usable in a standard diesel engine. Edible (non-toxic)
provenances can be used for animal feed and food.[15][8]

Botanical features[edit]
 Leaves: The leaves have significant variability in their morphology. In general, the leaves
are green to pale green, alternate to subopposite, and three- to five-lobed with a spiral
phyllotaxis.[16]
 Flowers: male and female flowers are produced on the same inflorescence, averaging
20 male flowers to each female flower,[17] or 10 male flowers to each female
 flower.[18] The inflorescence can be formed in the leaf axil. Plants occasionally present
hermaphroditic flowers.[16]
 Fruits : fruits are produced in winter, or there may be several crops during the year if soil
moisture is good and temperatures are sufficiently high. Most fruit production is
concentrated from midsummer to late fall with variations in production peaks where
some plants have two or three harvests and some produce continuously through the
season.[16]
 Seeds: the seeds are mature when the capsule changes from green to yellow. The
seeds contain around 20% saturated fatty acids and 80% unsaturated fatty acids, and
they yield 25–40% oil by weight. In addition, the seeds contain other chemical
compounds, such as saccharose, raffinose, stachyose, glucose, fructose, galactose,
and protein. The oil is largely made up of oleic and linoleic acids. Furthermore, the plant
also contains curcasin, arachidic, myristic, palmitic, and stearicacids and curcin.[16]
 Genome: the whole genome was sequenced by Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Chiba
Japan in October 2010.[19]

Cultivation[edit]

Jatropha curcas seeds

Cultivation is uncomplicated. Jatropha curcas grows
in tropical and subtropical regions.[20] The plant can grow in wastelandsand grows on almost
any terrain, even on gravelly, sandy and saline soils. It can thrive in poor and stony soils,
although new research suggests that the plant's ability to adapt to these poor soils is not as
extensive as had been previously stated. Complete germination is achieved within 9 days.
Adding manure during the germination has negative effects during that phase, but is
favorable if applied after germination is achieved. It can be propagated by cuttings, which
yields faster results than multiplication by seeds.
The flowers only develop terminally (at the end of a stem), so a good ramification (plants
presenting many branches) produces the greatest amount of fruits. The plants are self-
compatible.[17] Another productivity factor is the ratio between female and male flowers within
an inflorescence, more female flowers mean more fruits.[18] Jatropha curcas thrives on a
mere 250 mm (10 in) of rain a year, and only during its first two years does it need to be
watered in the closing days of the dry season. Ploughing and planting are not needed
regularly, as this shrub has a life expectancy of approximately forty years. The use
of pesticides is not necessary, due to the pesticidal and fungicidal properties of the plant. It is
used in rural Bengal for dhobi itch (a common fungal infection of the skin).
While Jatropha curcas starts yielding from 9–12 months time, the best yields are obtained
only after 2–3 years time. The seed production is around 3.5 tons per hectare (seed
production ranges from about 0.4 t/ha in the first year to over 5 t/ha after 3 years). If planted
in hedges, the reported productivity of Jatropha is from 0.8 to 1.0 kg of seed per meter of live
fence.[citation needed]

Propagation[edit]
Jatropha curcas can easily be propagated by both seed or cuttings.[21] Some people
recommend propagation by seed for establishment of long-lived plantations.[22] When
jatropha plants develop from cuttings, they produce many branches but yield fewer seeds
and do not have enough time to develop their taproot, which makes them sensitive to wind
erosion.[23] The seeds exhibit orthodox storage behaviour and under normal treatment and
storage will maintain viability at high percentages for eight months to a
year.[24][25][26][22][27] Propagation through seed (sexual propagation) leads to a lot of genetic
variability in terms of growth, biomass, seed yield and oil content. Clonal techniques can help
in overcoming these problems. Vegetative propagation has been achieved by stem
cuttings, grafting, budding as well as by air layeringtechniques. Cuttings should be taken
preferably from juvenile plants and treated with 200 micro gram per litre of IBA (rooting
hormone) to ensure the highest level of rooting in stem cuttings.[28] Cuttings strike root easily
stuck in the ground without use of hormones.[21]

Gallery[edit]


propagation of Jatropha curcas by stem cutting

propagation of Jatropha curcas by grafting

 

propagation of Jatropha curcas by Air layering

 Jatropha Crude Oil.

Processing[edit]
Seed extraction and processing generally needs specialized facilities.
Oil content varies from 28% to 30% and 80% extraction, one hectare of plantation will give
400 to 600 litres of oil if the soil is average.[29]
The oily seeds are processed into oil, which may be used directly ("Straight Vegetable Oil")
to fuel combustion engines or may be subjected to transesterification to
produce biodiesel.[citation needed] Jatropha oil is not suitable for human consumption, as it induces
strong vomiting and diarrhea.[citation needed]
Biofuel [edit]

Jatropha plantation in the dry center/west of the Paraguay Chaco

When jatropha seeds are crushed, the resulting jatropha oil can be processed to produce a
high-quality biofuel or biodiesel that can be used in a standard diesel car or further
processed into jet fuel, while the residue (press cake) can also be used as biomass
feedstock to power electricity plants, used as fertilizer (it contains nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium), or as animal fodder. The cake can also be used as feed in digesters and
gasifiers to produce biogas.[30]
"From planting to picking. Treat your jatropha plant as well as possible to make the yield as large as
possible!"(A reference to the compulsory planting of jatropha in Indonesia for the production of oil as
machinery lubricant and fuel for the Japanese WWII war effort.)
There are several forms of biofuel, often manufactured using sedimentation, centrifugation,
and filtration. The fats and oils are turned into esters while separating the glycerin. At the end
of the process, the glycerin settles and the biofuel floats. The process through which the
glycerin is separated from the biodiesel is known as transesterification. Glycerin is another
by-product from Jatropha oil processing that can add value to the crop. Transesterification is
a simple chemical reaction that neutralizes the free fatty acids present in any fatty
substances in Jatropha. A chemical exchange takes place between the alkoxy groups of an
ester compound by an alcohol. Usually, methanol and ethanol are used for the purpose. The
reaction occurs by the presence of a catalyst, usually sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or caustic
soda and potassium hydroxide (KOH), which forms fatty esters (e.g., methyl or ethyl esters),
commonly known as biodiesel. It takes approximately 10% of methyl alcohol by weight of the
fatty substance to start the transesterification process.[16]
Estimates of Jatropha seed yield vary widely, due to a lack of research data,
the genetic diversity of the crop, the range of environments in which it is grown,
and Jatropha's perennial life cycle. Seed yields under cultivation can range from 1,500 to
2,000 kilograms per hectare, corresponding to extractable oil yields of 540 to
680 litres per hectare (58 to 73 US gallons per acre).[31] In 2009 Time magazine cited the
potential for as much as 1,600 gallons of diesel fuel per acre per year.[32] The plant may yield
more than four times as much fuel per hectare as soybean, and more than ten times that
of maize (corn), but at the same time it requires five times as much water per unit of energy
produced as does corn (see below). A hectare of jatropha has been claimed to produce
1,892 litres of fuel.[33] However, as it has not yet been domesticated or improved by plant
breeders, yields are variable.[34]
Jatropha can also be intercropped with other cash crops such as coffee, sugar, fruits and
vegetables.[35]
In 2007 Goldman Sachs cited Jatropha curcas as one of the best candidates for future
biodiesel production.[36] However, despite its abundance and use as an oil
and reclamation plant, none of the Jatropha species has been properly domesticated and, as
a result, its productivity is variable, and the long-term impact of its large-scale use on soil
quality and the environment is unknown.[37]
In 2008 researchers at Daimler Chrysler Research explored the use of jatropha oil for
automotive use, concluding that although jatropha oil as fuel "has not yet reached optimal
quality, ... it already fulfills the EU norm for biodiesel quality". Archer Daniels Midland
Company, Bayer CropScience and Daimler AG have a joint project to develop jatropha as a
biofuel.[38] Three Mercedes cars powered by Jatropha diesel have already put some 30,000
kilometres behind them. The project is supported by DaimlerChrysler and by the German
Association for Investment and Development (Deutschen Investitions- und
Entwicklungsgesellschaft, DEG).
Jet fuel[edit]
Aviation fuels may be more widely replaced by biofuels such as jatropha oil than fuels for
other forms of transportation. There are fewer planes than cars or trucks and far fewer jet
fueling stations to convert than gas stations.[39] To fulfil the yearly demand for aviation fuel,
based on demand in 2008 (fuel use has since grown), an area of farmland twice the size of
France would need to be planted with jatropha, based on average yields of mature
plantations on reasonably good, irrigated land.[40]
On December 30, 2008, Air New Zealand flew the first successful test flight
from Auckland with a Boeing 747 running one of its four Rolls-Royce engines on a 50:50
blend of jatropha oil and jet A-1 fuel.[39][41] In the same press release, Air New Zealand
announced plans to use the new fuel for 10% of its needs by 2013. At the time of this test,
jatropha oil was much cheaper than crude oil, costing an estimated $43 a barrel or about
one-third of the June 4, 2008 closing price of $122.30 for a barrel of crude oil.[42]
On January 7, 2009 Continental Airlines successfully completed a test flight from Houston,
Texas using a 50/50 mixture of algae/jatropha-oil-derived biofuel and Jet A in one of the two
CFM56 engines of a Boeing 737-800 Next Generation jet. The two-hour test flight could mark
another promising step for the airline industry to find cheaper and more environmentally
friendly alternatives to fossil fuel.
On April 1, 2011 Interjet completed the first Mexican aviation biofuels test flight on an Airbus
A320. The fuel was a 70:30 traditional jet fuel biojet blend produced from Jatropha oil
provided by three Mexican producers, Global Energías Renovables (a wholly owned
subsidiary of U.S.-based Global Clean Energy Holdings), Bencafser S.A. and Energy JH
S.A. Honeywell's UOP processed the oil into Bio-SPK (Synthetic Paraffinic
Kerosene).[43] Global Energías Renovables operates the largest Jatropha farm in the
Americas.[43]
On October 28, 2011 Air China completed the first successful demonstration flight by a
Chinese airline that used jatropha-based biofuel. The mixture was a 50:50 mix of
conventional jet fuel blended with jatropha oil from China National Petroleum Corp. The 747-
400 powered one of its four engines on the fuel mixture during the 1-hour flight around
Beijing airport.[44]
Carbon dioxide sequestration[edit]
According to a 2013 study published by the European Geosciences Union,[45] the jatropha
tree may have applications in the absorption of carbon dioxide, whose sequestration is
important in combating climate change.[46] This small tree is very resistant to aridity so it can
be planted in hot and dry land in soil unsuitable for food production. The plant does need
water to grow though, so coastal areas where desalinated seawater can be made available
are ideal.[citation needed]
Use in developing world[edit]
Currently the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used for making biodiesel fuel
in Philippines, Pakistan and in Brazil, where it grows naturally and in plantations in the
southeast, north, and northeast of Brazil. Likewise, jatropha oil is being promoted as an
easily grown biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India and other developing
countries.[47] Large plantings and nurseries have been undertaken in India by many research
institutions, and by women's self-help groups who use a system of microcredit to ease
poverty among semiliterate Indian women. The railway line between Mumbai and Delhi is
planted with jatropha and the train itself runs on 15–20% biodiesel.[34] In Africa, cultivation
of jatropha is being promoted and it is grown successfully in countries such as Mali.[48] In
the Gran Chaco of Paraguay, where a native variety (Jatropha matacensis) also grows,
studies have shown the suitability of Jatropha cultivation[49][50] and agro producers are starting
to consider planting in the region.[51]

The tuba-tuba with scientific name Jatropha curcas linn belonging to the Euphorbiaceae or
spurge family is a poisonous shrub that originated in Central America and has spread to other
countries having tropical and subtropical climate such as the Philippines and India. The tuba-
tuba, also known as tubang bakod because it is being commonly used as a fence in most
Philippine houses has medicinal benefits and is in the list of the herbal medicines being
recognized by the Philippines’ Department of Health. It was in the news a few years ago as the oil
that can be processed from its seeds was discovered as an alternative to fuel and is now being
cultivated as a rich source of biodiesel.

A grown tuba-tuba or jatropha plant reaches up to 3 meters and can even grow up to 8 meters in
height. It has large green or pale-green leaves that are lobed and are arranged in a spiral pattern.
Its flowers are clustered in the axil of a leaf and are formed individually at the tip of the stem. The
tuba-tuba or jatropha is a low maintenance plant and can grow almost any kind of soil, whether
ordinary, rocky, sandy, or gravely soil and can easily adapt to any kind of weather.

As an herbal medicine, the sap of the jathropa includes among its components an alkaloid called
jatrophine which is believed to have anti-cancer properties. The leaves can also be used as a
liniment to treat stomach ache and can also be used as a natural insect repellant. The roots of the
jatropha are used as an anti-dote for snake bites. The bark from jatropha roots on the other hand
can be used as treatment for sores while the decoction of the roots together with the leaves can
be used to treat diarrhea.
More Health Benefits of tuba-tuba

 Reduces cholesterol levels: Eating a diet high in fat and animal foods can raise
cholesterol levels.
 Healing uric acid levels: A high uric acid level in the body can come from eating certain
rich foods and a high uric level in our body is the main cause for the health condition,
gout, which is a painful condition that mainly affects the big toe.
 Healing diabetes: Diabetes type II can be caused by a high level of sugar and can be
cured by tuba-tuba.
 Curing cancer: Some studies have shown that tuba-tuba is 100 times more powerful than
chemotherapy as it is powerful to diminish the growth of abnormal cells and facilitate the
normal cells to grow well.
 Lowering high blood pressure: It is well known that hypertension or high blood pressure
can lead to many other health problems, and tuba-tuba could lower high blood pressure.
 Asthma
 Curing ulcers
 Curing acne
 Curing a mild cough
 Curing back pain
 Curing eczema and rheumatic
 Curing hemorrhoids
 Curing liver problems
 Helps to diminishing lice
 Eradicating inflammation and tumors

When using the tuber-tuber leaves, it is always important to completely wash the tuber-tuber
leaves. For more information about how to prepare and take tuber-tuber, you can read
more DRHealthBenefits.com.

Aside from the tuba-tuba's medicinal properties, there are also other benefits that can be derived
from this plant. These are:

1) The oil extracted from the plant's seeds, aside from being an alternative to fuel can also be
used in the process of soap making.

2) Extract from the plant's roots can be processed as yellow dye while the extract from its barks
can be processed to produce blue dye.
3) The seeds can be pounded and used for tanning.

4) The plant itself can be used to prevent soil erosion.

With these benefits and its promise as an alternative energy source, it is no wonder that the
cultivation of the tuba-tuba plant is being encouraged in the Philippines.