I have seen more and more written recently about “drop in” fuels - biofuels that can be used in existing systems that are currently driven by petroleum-based fuels.  For example, experts have predicted that possibly within the next 2-3 years and certainly within the next decade, biofuels could be a significant factor in fueling the airline industry.  As a Reuters article points out, one feedstock for such a biofuel is Jatropha.  This plant, grown in poor African and Asian countries, is ”a poisonous plant that produces seeds that can be refined into biofuels, and is being touted as a good alternative fuel and a potentially powerful weapon against climate change.”  Jatropha has appealing qualities, including: 1) a perennial plant, 2) can grow on marginal land with limited rainfall, and 3) does not compete with other food crops or encourage deforestation.

Perhaps most importantly, however, these next generation biofuels can be “dropped in” to current technology that would certainly save cost in the long term.  For example, it has been estimated that it can cost upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars to develop a new airline jet engine.   If current engines can continue to function on this next generation fuel, the airlines, Jatropha farmers, and the environment will all be winners.