Jatropha seedcake is an excellent fuel for cooking, especially when turned into briquettes. For health reasons it might even be better to turn the briquettes into charcoal and use a stove with a chimney.

Briquettes were a very popular fuel source for safari trips in Tanzania, especially in the rainy season when firewood was scarse and expensive. Unfortunately the company producing this product (Diligent Tanzania) was closed down before they could reach break eaven in costs.

 

Energetic properties of Jatropha curcas seed cake
Energetic properties Unit Value
Moisture content % of weight 7.96
Volatile matter % of weight 67.37
Ash content % of weight 5.48
Bulk density kg·m-3 670
Gross calorific value MJ·kg-1 19.11
Net calorific value MJ·kg-1 17.56
Ash melting behaviour Unit Value
Deformation temperature ºC 1110
Hemisphere temperature ºC 1130
Flow temperature ºC 1145

At the Kasetsart university in Thailand charcoal of all parts of Jatropha curcas was investigated as a fuel or biomass crop

Caloric value of each part of Jatropha curcas versus rice husk.