Seven Weeds That Could Power Your Car
Tina Casey, September 30th, 2009, Gas2.org
Jatropha could be cultivated as a biofuel crop.
Image: prashantby on flickr.com.
With the attention on first generation corn ethanol fading, the next big thing on the sustainable fuel horizon is nonfood biofuel crops. Within that category, inedible weeds are taking a front-row seat due to their relatively low demands on water, pesticides, and herbicides, and their reduced need for tilling and other mechanized soil prep. Some weeds with biofuel potential can also thrive on contaminated soils, absorbing and cleaning pollutants in a process called phytoremediation.
One big caveat on weed biofuel is the risk of letting invasive species run wild off cultivated fields and overwhelming native species, but if that concern can be allayed through proper management, you may soon find these deceptively delicate looking weeds pulling enough power to beat out the tiger for a place in your tank.
Image: karenphillips on flickr.com.
2. Amaranthus
Also known as pigweed, Amaranthus is a highly competitive, classified noxious weed that proves how good bad can be. The pesky little devil has garnered praises from researchers at the University of New Mexico for its ideal traits as a biofuel crop including drought tolerance, high rate of photosynthesis, and resistance to disease and pests.
Image: Just chaos on flickr.com.
3. Kudzu
Biofuel could be the redemption song for kudzu, the voracious creeper known as “the plant that ate the south.”Aside from absorbing trees and bushes into an eerie green moonscape, kudzu boasts a hi-carb content that could be converted to ethanol using a yeast-based process. To offset the expense of harvesting kudzu from the steep hillsides that it favors, researchers point out that there are no costs for fertilizing, irrigating, or planting the invader, which was imported to the U.S. from Asia in the 1870’s.
Image: Alabama kudzu by Alarob on flickr.com.
4. Arundo donax (giant cane)
Able to grow almost three inches per day in the summer, giant cane (Arundo donax) could be the superhero of the biofuel world, producing multiple harvests every year on poor soil. Left unmanaged, though, it turns to the dark side. At least six states from California to Maryland have reported it as an invasive species.
Image: Shizahao on wikimedia.org (creative commons license).
5. Castor
The lovely castor plant is a noxious weed in Australia, introduced in 1803 and firmly establishing itself as a pest in every state except Tasmania. Meanwhile over in Israel, the company Kaiima Bio-Agritech believes that it has found a way to manipulate the chromosomes of biofuel crops to double their yield, with castor showing particular promise - at least in countries where it can be cultivated without overwhelming native species.
7. Chinese Tallow
We have none other than Benjamin Franklin to thank for Chinese Tallow, also known as Florida Aspen or more colorfully as the Gray Popcorn tree. It grows profusely in ditches and dikes from South Carolina through the entire Gulf Coast. Though trees aren’t usually thought of as weeds, the Chinese Tallow is in a class by itself: considered a noxious invader in the U.S., it joins algae and palm oil among the top three vegetable oil crops.
Image and background information: BaylorBear78 on flickr.com.
Image: pizzodisevo on flickr.com.
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I really like the ability of some of these plants to remediate the soil and air pollution that already exists. Looks like power the world and clean it up at the same time. Nice dream anyway.
Jatropha could be cultivated as a biofuel crop.
Image: prashantby on flickr.com.
With the attention on first generation corn ethanol fading, the next big thing on the sustainable fuel horizon is nonfood biofuel crops. Within that category, inedible weeds are taking a front-row seat due to their relatively low demands on water, pesticides, and herbicides, and their reduced need for tilling and other mechanized soil prep. Some weeds with biofuel potential can also thrive on contaminated soils, absorbing and cleaning pollutants in a process called phytoremediation.
One big caveat on weed biofuel is the risk of letting invasive species run wild off cultivated fields and overwhelming native species, but if that concern can be allayed through proper management, you may soon find these deceptively delicate looking weeds pulling enough power to beat out the tiger for a place in your tank.
Image: karenphillips on flickr.com.
2. Amaranthus
Also known as pigweed, Amaranthus is a highly competitive, classified noxious weed that proves how good bad can be. The pesky little devil has garnered praises from researchers at the University of New Mexico for its ideal traits as a biofuel crop including drought tolerance, high rate of photosynthesis, and resistance to disease and pests.
Image: Just chaos on flickr.com.
3. Kudzu
Biofuel could be the redemption song for kudzu, the voracious creeper known as “the plant that ate the south.”Aside from absorbing trees and bushes into an eerie green moonscape, kudzu boasts a hi-carb content that could be converted to ethanol using a yeast-based process. To offset the expense of harvesting kudzu from the steep hillsides that it favors, researchers point out that there are no costs for fertilizing, irrigating, or planting the invader, which was imported to the U.S. from Asia in the 1870’s.
Image: Alabama kudzu by Alarob on flickr.com.
4. Arundo donax (giant cane)
Able to grow almost three inches per day in the summer, giant cane (Arundo donax) could be the superhero of the biofuel world, producing multiple harvests every year on poor soil. Left unmanaged, though, it turns to the dark side. At least six states from California to Maryland have reported it as an invasive species.
Image: Shizahao on wikimedia.org (creative commons license).
5. Castor
The lovely castor plant is a noxious weed in Australia, introduced in 1803 and firmly establishing itself as a pest in every state except Tasmania. Meanwhile over in Israel, the company Kaiima Bio-Agritech believes that it has found a way to manipulate the chromosomes of biofuel crops to double their yield, with castor showing particular promise - at least in countries where it can be cultivated without overwhelming native species.
7. Chinese Tallow
We have none other than Benjamin Franklin to thank for Chinese Tallow, also known as Florida Aspen or more colorfully as the Gray Popcorn tree. It grows profusely in ditches and dikes from South Carolina through the entire Gulf Coast. Though trees aren’t usually thought of as weeds, the Chinese Tallow is in a class by itself: considered a noxious invader in the U.S., it joins algae and palm oil among the top three vegetable oil crops.
Image and background information: BaylorBear78 on flickr.com.
Image: pizzodisevo on flickr.com.
------------------------------------------END OF ARTICLE -------------------------------------------------
I really like the ability of some of these plants to remediate the soil and air pollution that already exists. Looks like power the world and clean it up at the same time. Nice dream anyway.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by W. Dan Chance on -
Hi Patrick, I'm not an expert nor a solid proponent but I am for anything....ANYTHING... that will get us off foreign oil as long as it does not make us sick or impoverish us. Seems like small processing systems would need to be developed that could be installed for communities that would then be visited by trucks that would transport the partially processed output to the final plant for final purification to fuel. It doesn't sound feasible... as would huge fields that could harvested as do wheat or corn.
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Permalink Reply by Allen R. Gale on -
I did some cursory research into equipment capable of generating fuel from biological materials - basically commercial quality stills - that would produce 1 million gallons or less per year of fuel. There are several, and availability is from immediate to 1 year, either in parts or turnkey operations, and should fall within the specifications of several Federal grant plans. There have been a few anounced, one notably in East Alabama, close to the GA border, although I forget the details or the name. I think there is another in N. C. or S. C. that is getting ready to produce, targeting initially up to 5 million gallons per year (shakey on details?). Are there any others that have the time and money or ability to get it that are willing to try?
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Permalink Reply by neil cox on -
Hi Allen: It is hard to produce any profit the first year or two. The immediately available stills will be suitable for some kinds of bio mass, but not for others. Fractional distillation produces a dozen or more relatively pure chemicals, some of which make good fuels. Some that have little present market value can be converted to something saleable with catalysts and other chemical treatment. Without subsidies, most would be produced at a loss. Few persons know how to do any of this well and typically they want to be paid generously for what they know. Worse there are many pretenders, who will waste your money and delay success of your project. You can be like Thomas Edison, who once said, "I now know 1000 things that won't make a good light bulb, so I am making progress." Neil
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Permalink Reply by Tom Bailey on -
I have 6 acres of open field. I have thought of solar panels. No money. I would like to follow up on this possible ave.
Maybe I do not have enough land to help. I say let's get goin!!!!!
Thanks for the articles and the quality discussion.
Best; Tom
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Permalink Reply by neil cox on
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Hi Tom: The main disadvantage of only 6 acres is thieves may steal your expensive PV = photovoltaic panels. If you can solve that problem, and have more cloud free hours than typical in Nevada, someone may be willing to put up the money to start construction. You can perhaps contribute sweat equity. Neil
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