Can Jatropha be used to make paper?

Question

Can the seed cake be used to make any form of paper? Or can the plant itself be used in any way to make paper?

Answer 1

Theoretically it should be possible to use Jatropha stem f.e. for papermaking because it contains cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.

In practice it is too difficult and expensive and may create environmental problems if not properly done.

Trials with Jatropha seed-cake have concluded that its properties compare favorably with those of other organic fertilizers with regard to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

To use it as fodder is too expensive, because it has to be detoxified.  Press-cake derived from the non-toxic varieties of J. curcas are used to feed animals.

Here are two informative publications:

"Assessment of the potential of Jatropha curcas, (biodiesel tree,) for energy production and other uses in developing countries"

http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:trO...

"Thermal Degradation and Kinetic Characterizations of Jatropha Waste under Isothermal and Dynamic Experiments"

http://www.scientific.net/0-87849-462-6/...