A Potentially new Biofuel source?

Finally time to get this blog rolling again! Since I am doing studies on biofuels right now, its really interesting to read up on various new feedstocks that everyone "claims" is faster growing, more efficient blah blah blah... This one seems pretty interesting, looks like its even faster growing then switchgrass which is also being looked at for 2nd generation biofuels. The fact that it can grow anywhere without much care is always a boon, however it seems like the energy conversion is poor so alot more land will eventually be needed if we do choose to use it.

Kudzu a Potential Biofuel?

Researchers at the University of Toronto and the US Department of Agriculture are taking a close look at kudzu, a native plant of Asia that can grow more than 6.5 feet a week and is nearly impossible to get rid of. The team examined the amount of carbohydrate in the plant – the part that gets turned into ethanol – at different times of year in different parts of the plant. They found the root carries over 2/3 of the carbs by weight, and they estimate kudzu could produce 2.2 to 5.3 tons of carbs per acre. This translates to 270 gallons of ethanol per acre, comparable to the ethanol yield of corn - which isn't saying much considering corn is on the low end of the energy yield spectrum..... [Full Story]

Source: Ecogeek.org