Eco Factor: Scientists discover new way to produce bio-fuel from animal waste.
How can the world’s smallest flowering plants help the environment? Going according to the research conducted by scientists at the North Carolina State University, these small plants can answer the world’s largest problems. These researchers have stated that duckweed produces far more starch per acre than corn, which can be used to produce more bio-fuel without producing any waste, corn-based bio-fuels are known for.
Apart from producing bio-fuel, the plants can digest animal waste, quickly converting it into leafy starch which again be used to produce bio-fuel. Duckweed consumes nitrogen, phosphorous, calcium and iron which enables them to carry out processes far more efficiency than any previously known methods. Since duckweed is found all over the world, with a major population thriving in cold climates, there’s little chance that it will create any problems as an invasive species.
The Dark Side:
The research is currently in its infancy and the researchers have only been able to produce starch using duckweed in a laboratory. For commercial production of bio-fuel, the cost to carry out the process has to be lowered.
Via: Wired
