Another New Alternative to Fossil Fuels: Sunflowers
Thu, Oct 2, 2008
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Image: milena mihaylova
Written by new contributor Chris Bowler
In the race to produce the best alternative to fossil fuels, there could soon be a new contender – sunflowers. Although already used to produce oil and biodiesel, some scientists believe these tall, colorful flowers can be used to produce ethanol as well.
The silverleaf and Algodones dune varieties are both being looked at due to their size – each can grow to be as tall as 21 feet, producing a significant amount of biomass that could be converted to ethanol. But, both varieties are wild so it will take some time for domestication to occur. University of Georgia scientists are studying the genes of each to measure the feasibility of affordable production.
So while it’s not yet guaranteed that sunflowers can be a viable alternative, it’s another step in the right direction.
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October 2nd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Sunflowers are an interesting concept for making biodiesel. However, maintenance and other factors, just like corn, soybeans or other food products, will have a negative impact on growing sunflowers for biodiesel. What about biodiesel from algae? India has even found out that algae biodiesel is going to give much higher yields than growing Jatropha Curcas.