Airline Flies a 747 on Fuel From a Plant

[kanesa]

Necessity is the mother of invention. High crude oil prices spurred the search for an alternative fuel.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/busine...ef=science

[macphanatic]

If the tests pan out, it should be a viable fuel for diesel engines and home heating.

[mattkime]

it'll never catch on here unless that plant is corn

[davester]

use user name and password: bugmenoooot

We won't have any crops to eat, but at least we'll be able to fly places.

[ztirffritz]

I did a little bit of research on Jatropha a while back. I thought it might be a good crop for Eastern Washington. It appears that it would probably grow OK here, but it sounded like the oil is actually pretty toxic until it is refined. India is making a big bet on Jatropha, as are several African nations. The pressing of the seeds is tricky because the oil can be absorbed through the skin and has some type of toxin in it. There are some sources for the plants, but they were difficult to get into the US.

[Mac1337]

Every alternative fuel takes something else away and that something is itself finite.

[mattkime]

Dakota wrote: Every alternative fuel takes something else away and that something is itself finite.

like sunlight?

[rgG]

We used to have a Jatropha house plant years ago and I had to keep it up high, away from the cats, because I had read that it was indeed quite toxic. IIRC, there are a lot of different varieties of Jatropha. Ours was a really odd-ball looking plant with a big bulb type base and strange stalks that came out of it.

[Mac-A-Matic]

If Jatropha can actually be grown successfully in poor conditions then perhaps it could be the crop that would help Africa reverse its' fortunes.

[tahoedrew]

Just read an article (I believe in the American Airlines magazine while flying over the holidays) that seaweed is being grown and harvested to be used as a type of fuel too.


~A