Development and Characterization of Eco-Friendly Non-Isocyanate Urethane Monomer from Jatropha curcas Oil for Wood Composite Applications

The aim of this research work was to evaluate the potential of using renewable natural feedstock,i.e.,Jatropha curcas oil(JCO)for the synthesis of non-isocyanate polyurethane(NIPU)resin for wood composite applications.Commercial polyurethane(PU)is synthesized through a polycondensation reaction between isocyanate and poly-ol.However,utilizing toxic and unsustainable isocyanates for obtaining PU could contribute to negative impacts on the environment and human health.Therefore,the development of PU from eco-friendly and sustainable resources without the isocyanate route is required.In this work,tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide was used as the activator to open the epoxy ring with 3-Aminopropyltriethoxisylane as a catalyst to yield urethane of JCO(UJCO).The UJCO were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy(FTIR)and their oxirane,and hydroxyl values were measured.The result showed that a decrease in oxirane value was found while the hydroxyl value was increased during the time,confirming that the urethane group was formed.The presence of functional groups in FTIR spectra at wave numbers 1732.08,1562.34,and 3348.42 cm^(−1) indicates the functional groups of C=O(urethane carbonyl),–NH,and–OH,respectively confirmed this finding.The potential applications of NIPU in the wood composite were also outlined.

Effect of Water Deficit Stress on Photosynthetic Characteristics of Jatropha curcas

The need to mitigate climate change cannot be more emphasized, which arises, as a result of increases in CO2 emissions due to anthropogenic activities. Given the current world energy problems of high fossil fuel consumption which plays a pivotal role in the greenhouse effect, Jatropha curcas biodiesel has been considered a potential alternative source of clean energy (biodiesel is carbon neutral). However, the ability of Jatropha curcas, as a candidate source of alternative of clean energy, to grow in marginal and dry soils, has been poorly elucidated. This study, therefore aimed at investigating whether Jatropha curcas leaves could switch from carrying out C3 photosynthetic pathway to Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) as a strategy to improve its water deficit tolerance. Thirty-five-day-old Jatropha curcas accessions, from three different climatic zones of Botswana, viz., Mmadinare (Central zone), Thamaga (Southern zone) and Maun (Northern zone), were subjected to water stress, by with-holding irrigation with half-strength Hoagland culture solution. Net photosynthetic rate, transpiration and stomatal conductance were measured at weekly intervals. The leaf pH was measured to determine whether there was a decrease in pH (leaf acidification) of the leaves during the night, when the plants experienced water deficit stress. All the accessions exhibited marked reduction in all the measured photosynthetic characteristics when experience water deficit stress. However, a measurable CO2 uptake was carried out by leaves of all the accessions, in the wake of marked decreases in stomatal conductance. There is evidence to suggest that when exposed to water stress J. curcas accessions switch from C3 mode of photosynthesis to CAM photosynthetic pathway. This is attested to by the slightly low leaf pH at night. Thamaga accession exhibited an earlier stomatal closure than the other two accessions. This resulted in Thamaga accession displaying a slightly lower dry weight than both Mmadinare and Maun accessions. It could be concluded that Jatropha curcas appeared to tolerate water deficit stress due to its ability of switching from C3 photosynthetic pathway to the CAM photosynthetic pathway, but with a cost to biomass accumulation, as demonstrated by slightly more reduced CO2 assimilation by Thamaga accession, than the other two accessions.

Cloning and Expression of Curcin, a Ribosome-Inactivating Protein from the Seeds of Jatropha curcas

Curcin, a ribosome-inactivating protein with a molecular weight of about 28.2 kD, which strongly inhibits the protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocyte lysate system with an IC50 value of about (0.19 +/- 0.01) nmol/L, was purified from the seeds of Jatropha curcas L. The protein has the activity of rRNA N-glycosidase. Degenerate primers were designed based on the N-terminal partial sequence from purified curcin. The full-length curcin cDNA by RT-PCR and 5'-RACE was cloned. The deduced amino acids sequence indicates that a preprotein with 20 amino acid residues is first translated and then processed to a mature protein with 251 amino acids. The deduced amino acids sequence shares homology of 33% and 57% to those of type I ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) and A chain of type II RIPs, respectively. The sequence encoding mature curcin was integrated into the pQE-30 vector for expression in Escherichia coli strain M15 (pREP4). The purified recombinant curcin was able to inhibit protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocyte lysate system.

Study on Establishment of cpSSR Marker Technology and Optimization of Its Reaction System in Jatropha curcas Linn

[ Objective] The aim of this study was to establish the optimum cpSSR-PCR system for Jatropha curcas Linn. [ Method] cpSSR-PCR amplification system for Jatropha curcas Linn influenced by five factors including Taq DNA polymerase, Mg^2＋ , DNA template, dNTP and primer were optimized from several levels. [ Result] The optimum concentration of 20 μl reaction system was 10 × Buffer, 2.00 mmol/L Mg^2＋ , 2 U/μl Taq DNA polymerase, 0.2 mmol/L dNTP, 0.2 μmol/L primer and 35 ng/μl DNA template. [ Conclusion] The optimum annealing temperature for cpSSR-PCR reaction system is 52 ℃, and the cpSSR reaction system is steady and reproducible.

Changes of Water Status and Different Responses of Osmoregulants in Jatropha Curcas L. Seedlings to Air-drought Stress

[Objective] The study aimed to investigate the changes of water status and different responses of osmoregulants during air-drought stress,to better understand mechanisms of drought resistance in Jatropha Curcas L. [Methods] The 12-day-old J. curcas seedlings were held in a climate chamber at 25/20 ℃（day/night）,16 hours illumination,and 75% of relative humidity for air-drought treatment,and the changes of water potential,osmotic potential and the content of soluble sugar,proline,betaine were measured. [Results] Water potential and osmotic potential in leaves of J. curcas seedlings dropped significantly,pressure potential lost during air-drought stress,and the contents of osmoregulants soluble sugar,proline and betaine rose significantly to different extent in the leaves and stems. [Conclusion] Osmoregulants in the leaves and stems respond differently to air-drought stress,and in general leaves are much more responsive to the drought than stems of J. curcas seedlings.

Distribution and development strategy for Jatropha curcas L. in Yunnan Province, Southwest China

Yunnan Province is the main distributing area ofJatropha curcas L. This plant is abundant in several drainage areas of the dry-hot, dry-warm and sub-humid valleys in the south subtropical area of Yunnan Province. The seeds that were picked from trees blossoming between April and May and fructifying between September and October will have large seed yield and fine quality. For developing bio-diesel stock forest ofJ. curcas in areas with adaptive climate, seeding measures for afforestation should be taken and techniques on breeding, fast-growing, and high-yielding plantation cultivation are very important.

Floral display and breeding system of Jatropha curcas L.

Plant flowering and breeding characteristics are important for us to understand the reproduction of plant populations. In this paper, we studied the reproduction characteristics of Jatropha curcas in Yuanjiang County （23°36＇1＇4, 101°00＇E）, Yunnan Province. The plant produces flowers in dichasial inflorescences. Normally, the flowers are unisexual, and male and female flowers are produced in the same inflorescence. Only a few male flowers are produced in an inflorescence, and fruits are produced only through pollination between different flowers from the same or different plants. By the treatments of emasculation, bagging and artificial pollination in this experiment, there were few but same fruit set ratios when the inflorescences were emasculated, bagged, or bagged with net, except artificial pollination treatments, which showed that Jatropha curcas could produce fruit through apomixis but not wind pollination. When the inflorescences were unbagged, unemasculated and with free pollination treatments, or bagged, emasculated and with artificial cross-pollination treatments, or unbagged, emasculated and with free pollination treatments, there were many fruits produced. It showed that Jatropha curcas shows outcrossing, is self-compatible, and demanding for pollinators. Normally, the male flowers open first and a few flowers bloom in one day in a raceme. These flowers last a long time in bloom. However, a large number of female flowers open from the third to the fifth day, with some female flowers opening first in a few raceme. This shows a tendency to promote xenogamy and minimize geitonogamy.

Cloning and characterization of a stearoyl-ACP desaturase gene from Jatropha curcas

Using degenerate primers and RT-PCR, RACE techniques, a 1491 bp cDNA segment of stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase （SAD） is cloned from developing seeds of Jatropha curcas L. The segment contains a 1191 bp of complete open reading frame （ORF）. Analysis in the BLAST on NCBI shows that Jatropha curcas SAD （JSAD） gene encodes a protein precursor composed of a signal peptide of 33 amino acids and a mature peptide of 363 amino acids. The homological analysis shows that JSAD has high level of homology both in nucleotide sequence and in amino acid sequence to other plants SADs. The nucleotide and peptide identity of JSAD to Ricinus communis SAD （RSAD） is up to 89% and 96.2% respectively. Molecular modeling of JSAD indicates that its three-dimensional structure strongly resembled the crystal structure of RSAD.

Biodiesel Production from Crude Jatropha curcas L.Oil with Trace Acid Catalyst

Biodiesel produced from crude Jatropha curcas L.oil with trace sulfuric acid catalyst(0.02%-0.08% oil) was investigated at 135-184 ℃.Both esterification and transesterification can be well carried out simultane-ously.Factors affecting the process were investigated,which included the reaction temperature,reaction time,the molar ratio of alcohol to oil,catalyst amount,water content,free fatty acid(FFA) and fatty acid methyl ester(FAME) content.Under the conditions at 165 ℃,0.06%(by mass) H2SO4 of the oil mass,1.6 MPa and 20:1 methanol/oil ratio,the yield of glycerol reached 84.8% in 2 hours.FFA and FAME showed positive effect on the transesterification in certain extent.The water mass content below 1.0% did not show a noticeable effect on trans-esterification.Reaction kinetics in the range of 155 ℃ to 175 ℃ was also measured.

One-step process for production of biodiesel from Jatropha curcas L. seeds： Optimization using Response Surface Methodology （RSM）

Jatropha curcas L. （JCL） seeds were extracted and transesterified in-situ using supercritical methanol extraction in the absence of catalyst at different temperatures （200-280℃） and pressures （8-12 MPa）, and at a fixed reaction time of 30 min with seeds-to-methanol ratio of 1：40 w/v. Design of experiment approach using five-level-two-factors design of Response Surface Methodology （RSM） was used to observe the effect of two independent variables i.e. temperature and pressure and the percent of biodiesel yield which required 13 runs. For optimization of the variables, Central Composite Rotatable Design （CCRD） was used for regression analysis and analysis of variance （ANOVA）. The optimize conditions suggested by RSM were at T = 280℃ and P = 12.04 MPa. The predicted and experimental biodicsel yields were found to be 56.8% and 59.9%, respectively, with relatively small deviation errors of 1.59%.

Some Biological Features of Aphtona whitfieldi Bryant (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), an Insect Pest of Jatropha curcas L. in Burkina Faso

Aphthona whitfieldi Bryant (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a major insect pest of Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiacae) in Burkina Faso and other countries in West Africa. The insect pest feeds on the roots and the leaves of the plant. When the attacks are heavy, the plant may lose all its leaves and die off. Unfortunately, little information is available on the biology of this insect pest. A study was conducted on the biology of this insect pest in the Sissili province, South Burkina Faso and resulted in the knowledge of some of the biological features of the insect pest. Aphthona whitfieldi was reared from 13th July to 22th October 2015. Larvae and pupae were collected in J. curcas plantations near Léo, the capital city of the Sissili province, and brought to the laboratory for rearing. The insects were observed daily and the dimensions and the duration of each stage were recorded. We recorded two larval stages (1st and 3rd): a pre-pupa and a pupal stage. The pupa was free and white milk-like. Both the pre-pupa and the pupal stages lasted for five days. The 1st instar larva was smaller than the third one.

Isolation of a genomic DNA for Jatropha curcas ribosome inactivating protein and its tobacco transformation

Genomic DNA for Jatropha curcas ribosome inactivating protein （JRIP） was cloned from total DNA of its leaves by polymerase chain reaction （PCR）. The no intron character was confirmed. The plant expression vector pBI121-JRIP was constructed by inserting the JRIP gene into pBI121 plasmid. The recombinant Agrobacterium EHA105 strain harboring pBI121-JRIP was constructed by conducting pBI121-JRIP to strain EHA 105. PCR and Southern blotting were carried out, and the results proved that the JRIP gene was integrated into tobacco genome. It might provide a new material for disease resistance tobacco species breeding.

New jatropholane-type diterpenes from Jatropha curcas cv.Multiflorum CY Yang

Three new jatropholane-type diterpenoids,jatropholones C-E(1-3),along with seven other known compounds,including sikkimenoid B(4),jatrophaldehyde(5),epi-jatrophaldehyde(6),epi-jatrophol(7),jatrophol(8),jatropholone A(9),and jatropholone B(10),were isolated from the roots of a natural cultivar of Jatropha curcas(J.curcas cv.Multiflorum CY Yang).The structural elucidations of 1-3 were accomplished by extensive NMR analysis.Compounds 4,6,and 8 demonstrated inhibition activity against the microorganisms with the MIC values from 0.10 to 0.18 mg/mL.

Insight of Viral Infection of Jatropha Curcas Plant(Future Fuel):A control based mathematical study

Jatropha Curcas Linnaeous(Jatropha Curcas L)is a wonder plant with a variety of applications and enormous economic potential.Biodiesel,an alternative fuel from non edible vegetable oil of Jatropha Curcas plant,has the requisite potential of providing a promising and commercially viable alternative to diesel oil since it has the desirable physicochemical and performance characteristics comparable to diesel.This alternative fuel is eco-friendly,cost effective and has the huge potentiality for the future generations throughout the world.For effective cultivation of this plant, protection from different viral diseases is essential.In this paper,we describe the eco-epidemiological model of the plant Jatropha Curcas L for understanding the disease dynamics which helps to control the viral infection of the Jatropha Curcas plant cell.By this approach,this plant can grow ideally for the renewable green fuel of the future world.

Damage of Coffee Bean Weevil (Araecerus fasciculatus De Geer) on Its New Host Jatropha curcas L.

[ Objective] Coffee bean weevil （Araecerusfasciculatus De Geer） is a worldwide important pest in storehouse, which distributes in tropical and subtropi- cal region, having overlapping ecological zone with the important biofuel plant Jatropha curcas L.. The paper was to investigate the damage of coffee bean weevil on J. curcas. [Method] Taking planting area in Luodian County of Guizhou Province as the investigation point, the forest stand of J. curcas in field and the indoor stored fruits were investigated, and the occurrence condition and damage consequence of the pest were grasped. Furthermore, the taxonomic status of the pest was also confirmed. [ Result] Coffee bean weevil had common distribution in planting area of J. curcas in Luodian, which was found to cause damage beth in field and indoor condition. The adults of coffee bean weevil fed on fungi with little direct damage on the fruit of J. curcas. However, the adults of the post laid their eggs in- side the peel of fruit, and the larvae hatched and fed inside the peel, resulting in the collapse of the peels, thus causing direct damage on the fruit. In addition, coffee bean weevil might have series of potential damages including direct feeding on seeds, spreading diseases, and posing damage on other economic crops in pro- duction area, etc.. [ Conclusion] J. curcas was an important new host for coffee bean weevil. The pest had certain damage on the plant, which also had potential damage on plant products and other economic crops. The research and control efforts on coffee bean weevil should be strengthened.

Techno-economic Appraisal of Biodiesel from Jatropha curcas： An Egyptian Case Study

Biodiesel （fatty acid methyl ester） has been identified as a non-toxic biodegradable alternative fuel that is obtained from renewable sources. Over the last decade, there has been increasing interest in producing biodiesel from conventional sources such as soybean, canola, sunflower, and coconut oils. Current efforts are directed towards the development of new non-edible resources. Among these Jatropha Curcas comes at the forefront. In Egypt, Jatropha Curcas has grown successfully using primary treated wastewater. Also, extensive R＆D efforts identified the optimum conditions for the various processing stages namely crushing, extraction, transesterification and purification. Based on the research findings, the techno-economic appraisal of biodiesel production from Jatropha Curcas is conducted. Two nominal capacities namely 8,000 and 50,000 metric tons/yr have been proposed. Several scenarios have been formulated to take into consideration varying productivity （3.4 to 5.8 ton fruits per 4,000 m^2 （acre）） and varying recovery rates of oil from seeds. Economic indicators including capital and production costs for the various processing stages and revenues according to current prices of oil and cake have been obtained. The price of biodiesel that provides a simple rate of return （SRR） on investments of 10% was in the range of $0.3-0.7/liter for the different assumed scenarios which is lower than the prevailing price of biodiesel （about $1/liter） in the US. Thus, in view of experimental results and economic assumptions, there are positive prospects for the production of biodiesel from Jatropha Curcas under Egyptian conditions.

Effects of Aluminum Toxicity on Physiological Indices of Jatropha curcas L.Seedling

Jatropha curcas was taken as the test material,6 concentrations including 0,25,50,100,200 and 400μmol/L AlCl3,plus 3 time gradients including 7,14 and 21 d,were set to study the effects of Al^(3+)stress on the antioxidant system of Jatropha curcas L.seedling.The results showed that with the Al^(3+)treatment being applied,protein content increased first,then decreased and finally increased with the increase of Al^(3+)concentration;the soluble sugar content increased first and then decreased with the increase of Al^(3+)concentration.Under low concentration of Al^(3+)treatment,Pro content,MDA content and POD activity of Jatropha curcas L.seedling leaves changed a little,while under high concentration of Al^(3+)treatment,Pro and MDA content of Jatropha curcas L.seedling leaves rapidly accumulated,POD activity increased and they showed a trend of increase with the increase of Al^(3+)concentration;From the perspective of Al^(3+)stress time,protein content,soluble sugar content,MDA content and POD activity increased with stress time being prolonged,while Pro content decreased with stress time being prolonged.These results indicated that the leaves of Jatropha curcas L.seedlings had certain self-protection and remediation abilities under Al^(3+)stress.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Strategies for Scaling-Up Jatropha curcas （L.） Production in Ghana

Jatropha curcas （L） has gained popularity as a biodiesel plant to serve as an alternative fuel source and generate income to small landholders. From the Bioenergy policy of Ghana, the government is collaborating with the private sector to develop about one million hectares of Jatropha plantation throughout the country. The objective of this study was to assess the importance which farmers give to ,Jcurcas compared with other indigenous tree species and identify the indigenous uses and niches of J. curcas in Ghana. Three farming communities were selected from each of the ten regions. A total of six hundred farmers, consisting of twenty farmers from each community were selected at random and interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire. Results revealed that J curcas was identified as one of the most important tree species in nine out of the ten regions. Majority （56%） of the respondents indicated that it is mainly used for medicinal purpose and mostly found around homesteads. However. the study observed that, research attention is needed on integration into agricultural lands, germplasm collection and genetic improvement. These findings will help boost production ofJ. curcas in Ghana for the nation to realize her dream of alternative fuel from the plant.

Techniques of Domestication and Carbon Sequestration of Jatropha curcas Associated with Vigna unguiculata in Marginal Soil of Garoua Region, Cameroon

In order to reduce the increase of fuel prices, and improve the living conditions of the population, a study was carried out by Convention No. 1/IRAD/PCS ESA2-SDCC in the region of Garoua in Cameroon. The study aimed to characterize the behaviour ofJ. curcas associated with V. unguiculata in marginal soils in the Sahel region in order to improve the livelihoods of the farmers and promote its domestication in rural areas. It also aimed at pointing out the influence of two implantation techniques of d. curcas on the germination, the different quantities of NPK and cow dung, planting techniques and association with V. unguiculata var. lori on growth parameters of development and yield of J. curcas on the degraded marginal soils in the region. The experimental design was a completely randomized block with five levels of fertilization （F0： control; FI： 50 g; F2：100 g of NPK 15-20-15; F3：1 kg and 2 kg of cow dung） per plant. Two types of establishment propagator （Ge） and direct seedling （Se） with three replications were used. Data were analysed by Stratigraphic ＋ and XLSTAT. Results showed that the propagator germination was higher than the direct seeding, 95% and 40% respectively. The Principal Component Analysis （PCA） of the parameters of growths and yield of J. curcas showed high correlation between the production of the leaves and the length of the leaves （R = 0.861; P 〈 0.001）. These parameters were correlated with the Biplot （F1 and F2） to 53.24%. It was opposed to the positives and imperfect correlation between the height and the recover parameters （R = 0.486; P 〈 0.05）. The treatments 100 g of NPK per plant and 2 kg of cow dung per plant induced strongly the development and yield ofJ. curcas and V. unguiculata adapted to marginal soils.

Influence of Agricultural Inputs on Growth and Yield of Jatropha curcas （L.） in Cameroon

A study was carried out in the Northern region of Cameroon to assess the influence of fertilizers （chemical fertilizer NPK （15-20-15 w/w/w） or cow dung） on the growth and yield ofJatropha curcas from four origins namely Cameroon, Senegal, Tanzania and Mozambique. The experimental design was factorial with 4 origins×3 fertilizers×8 month durations. After planting, growth parameters and dendrometric measurements were carried out monthly during eight months. Data were analyzed using a Statgraphics program and Duncan test. The results showed that plant of Tanzania and Mozambique origin had higher germination rate in field 75% and 69.5%, respectively. The survival rate of transplants was 100% for Cameroon origin and 98.48% for Senegal origin. NPK and cow dung significantly （P 〈 0.05） increased the growth parameters height, diameter, number of ramifications, leaves and fruits of Jatropha curcas. In addition Jatropha from Cameroon origin exhibited the highest growing conditions and high fruit yield, then highlighting its potential for the biofuel program of the country. But significant improvement needs to be done, particularly on the level of fertilizer needed.