Forest Ecology and Management Research Group

Wouter Achten

Diploma

• Master in Bio-Science engineering - Land and Forest Management (2005)

Work history

• Since october 2006: VLIR-UDC PhD research fellow at the Division Forest, Nature and Landscape (K.U.Leuven)
• Volunteer Agricultural porject developer and lecturor Informatics, Newman College and Newman Institute for Social Work (Caraes NGO), Kigoma, Tanzania (2005-2006)
• Dissertation research at Agricultural Research Institute Naliendele, Mtwara, Tanzania (2005) (see Achten et al. 2008, ZfG)

Expertise

• Jatropha curcas
• bio-diesel
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Land Use Impact Assessment

Personal website

The Jatropha Archives - Downloads

Projects

• JATROPHABILITY (2009-2011)
• BIOTROPHA (2006-2010)

Publications

Publication profile ACHTEN Wouter

3

Publication year	n	Peer-reviewed publications
2007	2
2008	3
2009	4
2010	4

Open Access versions of published articles available at Lirias

Articles in internationally reviewed scientific journals

• Achten WMJ, Maes WH, Aerts R, Verchot L, Trabucco A, Mathijs E, Singh VP, Muys B 2010. Jatropha: from global hype to local opportunity. Journal of Arid Environments 74, 164-165. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.08.010
• Achten WMJ, Maes WH, Reubens B, Mathijs E, Singh VP, Verchot L, Muys B 2010. Biomass production and allocation in Jatropha curcas L. seedlings under different levels of drought stress. Biomass & Bioenergy in press. DOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2010.01.010
• Achten WMJ, Nielsen LR, Aerts R, Lengkeek AG, Kjaer ED, Trabucco A, Hansen JK, Maes WH, Graudal L, Akinnifesi FK, Muys B 2010. Towards domestication of Jatropha curcas. Biofuels 1(1), 91-107. get abstract / full text
• Maes WH, Achten WMJ, Muys B 2009. Use of inadequate data and methodological errors lead to an overestimation of the water footprint of Jatropha curcas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the USA 106(34), E-91. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0906788106
• Maes WH, Achten WMJ, Reubens B, Raes D, Samson R, Muys B 2009. Plant-water relationships and growth strategies of Jatropha curcas L. seedlings under different levels of drought stress. Journal of Arid Environments 73, 877-884. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.04.013
• Maes WH, Trabucco A, Achten WMJ, Muys B 2009. Climatic growing conditions of Jatropha curcas L.. Biomass and Bioenergy 33(10), 1481-1485. DOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2009.06.001
• Achten WMJ 2008. Science journals have been slow to make themselves audible. Nature 455, 590-590. DOI: 10.1038/455590a
• Achten WMJ, Dondeyne S, Mugogo S, Kafriti E, Poesen J, Deckers J, Muys B 2008. Gully erosion in South Eastern Tanzania: spatial distribution and topographic thresholds. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie 50, 225-235. DOI: 10.1127/0372-8854/2008/0052-0225
• Achten WMJ, Verchot L, Franken YJ, Mathijs E, Singh VP, Aerts R, Muys B 2008. Jatropha bio-diesel production and use. Biomass and Bioenergy 32(12), 1063-1084. DOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2008.03.003
• Achten WMJ, Mathijs E, Verchot L, Singh VP, Aerts R, Muys B 2007. Jatropha biodiesel fueling sustainability?. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining 1(4), 283-291. DOI: 10.1002/bbb.39

Books or book chapters, internationally recognised scientific publisher

• Achten WMJ, Aninnifesi FK, Maes WH, Trabucco A, Aerts R, Mathijs E, Reubens B, Singh VP, Verchot L, Muys B 2010. Jatropha integrated agroforestry systems – biodiesel pathways towards sustainable rural development. In: Ponterio C & Ferra C (eds.) Jatropha curcas as a premier biofuel: cost, growing and management. Nova Science Publishers, Hauppauge, NY, USA (ISBN: 978-1-60876-003-9) (in press). get abstract / full text

Reviewed papers at international conferences and symposia, published in full in proceedings

• Achten WMJ, Mathijs E, Muys B 2009. Proposing a life cycle land use impact calculation methodology. in: Nemecek T & Gaillard G (eds.) Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on LCA in the Agri-Food Sector - Towards a sustainable management of the Food chain. November 12-14, 2008, Zurich, Switzerland. Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station (ISBN 978-3-905733-10-5), 22-33. DOI: 10.1038/npre.2009.2340.3
• Achten WMJ, Reubens B, Maes W, Mathijs E, Verchot L, Singh VP, Poesen J, Muys B 2007. Root architecture of the promising bio-diesel plant Jatropha. Communication in Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences. Ghent University (ISSN 1379-1176) 72(1), 81-85. get abstract / full text

Other publications

• Achten WMJ, Aerts R, Maes WH, Mathijs E, Reubens B, Trabucco A, Singh VP, Vandenbempt P, Verchot L, Muys B 2009. Environmental performance of tropical bio-diesel trees. in: Book of Abstracts of International Symposium Developing countries facing global warming: a post-kyoto assessment, Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences United Nations, Brussels, 12-13 June, 2009, 25-25. get abstract / full text
• Achten WMJ, Bolle E, Fobelets V, Mathijs E, Deckers S, Muys B 2009. Life cycle assessment of Jatropha biodiesel: preliminary results of an Indian case. in: Book of Poster Abstracts of Starters in Bosonderzoek, 19 March, Brussels, Blegium, 1-1. get abstract / full text
• Achten WMJ, Vandenbempt P, Mathijs E, Muys B 2009. Life cycle assessment of a Palm oil system producing both biodiesel and cooking oil: a Cameroon case. In: International Palm Oil Life Cycle Assessment Conference 2009, Crown Plaza Mutiara Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malysia, 2009 18-20 October, 11-11.
• Achten WMJ, Vandenbempt P, Singh VP, Verchot L, Mathijs E, Muys B 2009. Comparing life cycle assessments of tropical bio-diesels: Jatropha versus Oil palm. In: Book of Abstracts, 2nd World Congress of Agroforestry, 23-28 August, Nairobi, Kenya, 133-133. get abstract / full text
• Achten WMJ, Vandenbempt P, Singh VP, Verchot L, Mathijs E, Muys B 2009. Comparing the life cycle environmental performance of biodiesel production from tropical biofuel trees: Jatropha and oil palm. In: conference “Shape your sustainability tools and let your tools shape you”, 23-24 September 2009, Uppsala, Sweden, 43-43.
• Achten WMJ, Mathijs E, Verchot L, Singh VP, Muys B 2008. Unraveling the Jatropha biodiesel system. in: Book of abstracts of the 3rd Strategic Energy Forum, 16 December 2008, Brussels, Belgium. get abstract / full text
• Achten WMJ, Vandenbempt P, Mathijs E, Muys B 2008. Proposing a life cycle land use impact calculation methodology. In: 6th International Conference on Life Cycle Assessment in the Agri-Food Sector - Book of Abstracts, 12-14 November 2008, Zürich, Switzerland, 5-5. get abstract / full text
• Muys B, Trabucco A, Achten W, Mathijs E, Van Orshoven J, Zomer R, Verchot L, Singh VP 2008. Land suitability for Jatropha biofuel production. In: Fourth International conference on Renewable Resources and Biorefineries - Book of abstracts, 1-4 June 2008, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, x-x. get abstract / full text
• Achten W, Mathijs E, Verchot L, Singh V.P, Muys B 2007. Bio-diesel from Jatropha: life-cycle and environmental impact. 2nd International Energy Farming Congress (13 - 15 march 2007) Papenburg, Germany. get abstract / full text
• Achten W, Mathijs E, Verchot L, Singh V.P, Muys B 2007. Bio-diesel from Jatropha: the life-cycle perspective. FACT seminar Jatropha curcas L.: agronomy and genetics. 26-28 March 2007, Wageningen, the Netherlands. Book of abstracts. get abstract / full text
• Achten W, Muys B, Mathijs E, Singh V.P, Verchot L 2007. Life-cycle assessment of Bio-diesel from Jatropha curcas L. energy balance, impact on global warming, land use impact. 5th International conference on LCA in foods (25-26 april 2007), Götheborg, Sweden. get abstract / full text
• Achten W, Muys B, Mathijs E, Verchot L 2007. Biodiesel production from Jatropha in developing countries: life cycle and relevant impact categories. Online Journal of Scientific Posters EP10615. get abstract / full text
• Achten W, Muys B, Mathijs E, Verchot L 2007. Biodiesel productie uit Jatropha in ontwikkelingslanden: Levenscyclusanalyse en relevante impactcategoriën. Starters in het Bosonderzoek - donderdag 22 maart 2007. get abstract / full text
• Achten WMJ, Muys B, Mathijs E, Singh VP, Verchot L 2007. Life-cycle assessment of bio-diesel from Jatropha curcas L. energy balance, impact on global warming, land use impact. Book of proceedings - The 5th International Conference LCA in foods - 25-26 April, Gothenburg, Sweden, 96-102.
• Muys B, Achten W, Mathijs E, Singh V.P, Verchot L 2007. Bio-diesel production from Jatropha curcas L.: energy balance, global warming potential and land use impact. Book of abstracts of the Third International Conference on Renewable Resources and Biorefineries, 4-6 June, 2007, Ghent, Belgium, 55. get abstract / full text