|
Special
|
|
Written by Sabrina Deparine
|
|
Wednesday, 03 March 2010 10:42 |
|
Page views: 795 |
Fuel now grows on trees.
Yes, you’ve read it right. Research teams from the University of Maryland’s College Park and Bowie State were awarded a $3.2-million, four-year grant by the National Science Foundation’s Plant Genome Research Project to develop a technology that can convert a hybrid of poplar trees to alternative fuel.
 Before environmentalists can make their objections, the teams clarify that the poplar hybrid trees to be used for the production of ethanol that will be blended with regular gasoline to produce biofuel will not come form forests but will be grown in plantations. These are grown specifically for the purpose of producing biofuels. At present, the teams are more concerned on how they can speed up the growth cycle of poplar trees to make them a more sustainable source of biofuels.
Poplar trees have been chosen for this project because these are rich in cellulose which can be converted to sugar and then fermented to ethanol. At the moment, the most popular use of poplar trees is in the production of paper, timber and crops. This type of tree is non-edible.
|
Share this Article.
|
Subscribe
