
For the last few years corn-based ethanol has been touted as the fuel of the future, our cure for oil dependency. Due to this we have seen increase demand globally which is already leading to negative side effects, escalating corn prices and diminished food supplies around the world. Not to mention the increases in pesticides, land used far farming, and most disturbing carbon emissions from coal based ethanol refineries. In the last few weeks the mainstream media has finally started to touch on this issue and is starting to create awareness.
What many people don't realize is that you can create biofuel from almost any sugar crop including maize, sorghum, potatoes, wheat, sugar-cane, even cornstalks, fruit and vegetable waste. The biofuel industry needs to diversify what Ethanol is made from, stop relying so heavily on corn. Politicians are doing the opposite, since the Iowa caucuses which were riddled with candidates changing their positions on corn based Ethanol including a perfectly timed about face from Hilary Clinton, we now have 200 corn based refineries slated to be built.
Obviously corn alone won't be able to sustain biofuel production in this country for much longer, there are may other crop options but the best candidate seems to be Bamboo. I always knew there were many environmental benefits to Bamboo but knew very little about the vast potential of this amazing plant. Not only can it be utilized for biofuel it also can be used for almost anything trees are used for, it has stronger tension than steel, stronger compression than concrete. The majority of the world uses Bamboo for construction and it has withstood earthquakes up to magnitude 9.0. There are many other uses to many to list but clothing, textiles, food, furniture are among them. There is a growing awarness of the benifits of Bamboo in this country and I'm sure as Corn and Gasoline become more expensive you will hopefully start to see vehicles that run on Bamboo-based biofuel.
Here are just a few of the benefits from growing Bamboo:
- It's the fastest growing plant on earth, some species can grow a foot a day!
- It's a carbon neutral crop which means it releases same amount of carbon when burned as it cleans out of the atmosphere while alive.
- Bamboo can grow in arid regions and is resilient to drought.
- There is no need for fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides.
- Because the roots stay behind in the soil during harvest, Bamboo prevents soil erosion and help retain nutrients, it actually improved the quality of the soil with each planting.
- Bamboo adds 35% more oxygen to the atmosphere than hardwood trees.
- It’s not corn!
Other related links:
From today 4-29-08: Food scientists say stop biofuels to fight world hunger
Carbon Cloud over Green Fuel
Ethanol fuel
American Bamboo Society
TotallyBamboo.com
Biofuels: The Future?