Jatropha gets more attention as biodiesel feedstock in China

Jatropha oil seems to be receiving increasing attention in China as a biodiesel feedstock, as the country plans to grow its biodiesel consumption to 2 million metric tons per year by 2020. The mountainous province of Yunnan, which boasts the largest diversity of plants in China, plans to become a major biofuel production base in China, according to the China Daily. Yunnan plans to produce 500,000 metric tons of biodiesel annually by 2015, according to a development plan issued by the provincial government last September, the report said. Yunnan has about 20 companies involved with jatropha plantations and associated processing businesses. Shenyu New Energy is building a jatropha oil processing factory with an investment of 65 million yuan (US$9.52 million) in Yunnan. (February 24, 2010)