Humble grasses may be the best source of biofuel

Sunday Dec 10, 2006

Source: New Scientist.

According to New Scientist, grass may be the best source of biofuel.  According to the researchers, it is actually "carbon negative" even after you use fossil fuels to transport it to the refinery. 

"The use of fossil fuels to power the process releases 0.3 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare per year - but the growing grasses store 4.4 tonnes of CO₂ in the roots and soil, meaning the net result is 4.1 tonnes removed from the atmosphere. The stems, leaves and flowers of the grasses also absorb CO₂ but this is then released again when the grassland biofuel is burned later on – meaning no net gain or loss of CO₂."

<snip>
Humble grasses may be the best source of biofuel, say researchers, who estimate grasses could provide 19% of global electricity needs at the same time as soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. <unsnip>

Corn as the crop for biofuel has been criticized because of the amount of energy it takes to grow it, harvest it, etc.  

It's definitely going to take a mix of innovations to reduce our impact on the environment or to return earth to how it once was.  With every innovation that is seen by some as positive there are immediately those who see negatives.  Are there innovations out there with no negatives?  My definition of innovation is that which improves on something that already exists.  But by improving something the most obvious naysayers are those whose previous innovation now has little value. 

Should innovation with no negative impact be a goal, given the limited amount of resources on our great planet?  After reading Cradle to Cradle, it makes me think that humans should make this our goal.

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Posted at 09:13AM Dec 10, 2006 by cohen in Sustainability
Tags: alternative biofuel eco energy sun