The first mass-produced car in the world was the Ford Model T (“T-Ford”). The production of the Model T began in the autumn of 1908. The engine was capable of running on gasoline, kerosene, or ethanol, although the decreasing cost ofgasoline and the later introduction of Prohibition made ethanol an impractical fuel.

By 1918, half of all cars in the United States were Model Ts. Ford was very cost conscious and he wanted to save money on the paint of the car. His famous saying is: “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.”

In total, more than 15 million Model Ts were manufactured, reaching a pro­duction rate of 9000-10 000 cars a day in 1925, or over 2 million annually, more than any other model of its day, at a price of just $240. For the past 100 years the basic principles of the motor car have remained the same: four wheels, a steering wheel, and a combustion engine, running either on gasoline, diesel, or lately electricity. Since the price of oil is climbing higher and higher we are rediscovering biofuels as a source of energy for cars. Electric and hybrid cars are now being introduced, but batteries do not store enough electricity yet to drive 500 km without reloading.

Biofuels Feedstock: jatropha curcas

Twenty years ago, we did not have the Internet or mobile phones. But now we cannot live without it. It changed our way of life. Renewable energies will have the same importance.

Al Gore — Speech at the Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland, 21 June 2010.

3.1

Characteristics

3.1.1

Plants in Marginal Crowing Conditions

The majority of the global food supply relies on only a very few staple crops like rice, wheat, soybeans, rapeseed, sugar, palm oil, and corn produce. However, the importance of many minor species should not be underestimated. Up until a few years ago agricultural research was focused on the commodity crops we all know so well and those minor crops generally failed to attract significant research funding. Nowadays, however, more and more investment money and research is put to work in smaller, underutilized, or neglected crops, particularly by scientists in developed countries.

Many of these neglected species are well adapted to growing conditions on marginal land, not suitable for agriculture, such as in erosion-affected areas of Sichuan and Yunnan (China), the Andean and Himalayan highlands, in arid areas, in salt — and erosion-affected soils, and so on.

Many crops considered inferior and neglected are very important staples at a national or regional level. Often they contribute considerably to the food supply in certain regions. For instance, during one of my visits in the second most poorest island of Indonesia, West Timor, it became clear that the cultivation of a single crop like cassava was the one and only crop for daily nutrition. The locals do not have the knowledge or money to plant a variety of food crops to obtain a well — balanced diet.

Second Generation Biofuels and Biomass: Essential Guide for Investors, Scientists and Decision Makers, First Edition. Roland A. Jansen. r 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Published 2013 by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

The limited information on neglected and underutilized crops hinders their development, quality improvement, and sustainable conservation. Very often agronomic research is hindered by the fact that information available on the plant germplasm is scattered and not centrally accessible.

In most cases central germplasm banks are not even available at all. Fortunately, this is changing in Jatropha. The San Diego-based company SG Biofuels (www. sgfuel. com) has made available a germplasm bank of 200 species. However, we still witness frequently uncoordinated research efforts for most neglected crops and scientists meet each other at conferences, exchange some ideas, but are extremely careful in exchanging knowledge, which might be worth a lot of money.

3.1.2