Potential energy of the Jatropha

Resumo

Jatropha is one of the researched oilseeds with the potential to produce quality oil to meet the needs of the National Program for the Production and use of Biodisel (PNPB), focusing mainly on the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast regions of Brazil. In this sense, the interest in the agronomic knowledge of this culture has increased, aiming at the selection and improvement of more productive and economically viable varieties, mainly due to the high potential in the production of oil for the production of biodiesel. The present work has the focus of analyzing the overview of the Jatropha culture in Brazil, identifying the regions with productivity potentials, as well as the characteristics of the crop, searching for studies of their uses and applications, and, finally, to verify the potential of Jatropha for biodiesel production. The study showed that Jatropha cultivation is feasible for family farming, especially in semi-arid regions, as a sustainable and extra source of income