Leaves, Twigs, and Bark: Cheap Biofuel Alternatives?

twig
It seems like new reports are practically coming out daily about the next great gasoline alternative— furfural, algae, and switchgrass, just to name a few. Now 3 more contenders have entered the ring: leaves, twigs, and bark.

Australia’s Commonwealth Science and Research Organization (CSIRO) reports that lignocellulose, a component of plants and wood, could potentially be used as a cheap fuel—as inexpensive as $40-60 a barrel.

Even better, lignocellulose biofuels are compatible with current facilities. All they need for conversion is an extra unit in front of any existing sugar biofuel facility.

And there are plenty of benefits of using lignocellulose instead of other types of biofuels. Since plants, leaves and twigs aren’t food crops and require little input during their growth, they don’t compete heavily for resources needed for foodstuffs.

To learn even more about second-generation biofuels such as lignocellulose, check out the CSIRO Get Adobe Flash Player to play this audio or download the audio file instead..

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4 Comments

  1. Leaves, Twigs, and Bark: Cheap Biofuel Alternatives? | nerdd.net…

    \r\nIt seems like new reports are practically coming out daily about the next great gasoline alterna…

  2. This is indeed great news. In fact I believe, what is being shared here is just the tip of iceberg. There are even more potential to this alternative energy source compared to fossil fuel and the cost needed for production is already convincing enough.

  3. Very possible. Keep it up people my car needs your help. Who would have thought that making fuel out of corn was possible but they did that, too. Its amazing what the mind can come up with.

  4. The twigs and leaves supply vital nutrients to the forest floor for the next generation of trees. If you hoover them up, then you’ll wind up with a forest like the tropical jungles… Cut the trees down and they can’t regrow because the soil is so poor. Then, you’ll have no fuel AND no clean air.

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