We like to report on about various ways to produce  biofuels from plant and other organic substances. These substances have ranged from using “turd timber” to produce  biofuel from human and animal excrement  to growing algae on large hydroponic  farms to create biofuels that will power anything from glitzy high priced gold sports cars. Biofuels have also been lauded for use in fuel for  fleets of commercial airlines in the Unite Arab Emirates and beyond.

A lot of media attention has been given to creating plant based biofuel from sugar, corn and sorghum; and also from green algae grown by hydroponic means which has attracted the attention of such fuel consuming organizations NATO and NASA.

There are, however,  some outspoken authorities in the field of plant photosynthesis,  against devoting so much agriculture to produce biofuels. One of these scientists Hartmut Michel, who shared a Nobel Prize in 1988 for his achievements in the study of plant photosynthesis now says that plants can only use about 47% of direct sunlight for  the process of of photosynthesis.

Hartmut Michel

Of this amount, only about 1% of this energy is actually converted into chemical energy for making biofuel. In fact, Dr. Michel believes that solar energy from photovoltaic panels is much more efficient as it can convert around 20% of the energy from direct sunlight into electricity.

According to Michel, improving photosynthesis, although a highly important goal towards securing food security, cannot change the superiority of the combination photovoltaic cells/electric battery/electric engine.

“Because of the low photosynthetic efficiency and the competition of energy plants with food plants for agricultural land, we should not grow plants for biofuel production. The growth of such energy plants will undoubtedly lead to an increase in food prices, which will predominantly hit poorer people,” he says.

(Update 2020, and he was right. Green Prophet offers the latest UN report and guess what? An increase in food prices is food for thought)

The increase in food prices are also an important factor when cereal grains are being used in the manufacture of ethanol, an important ingredient in many of the bio fuels that are now becoming commonplace. Grains like corn and sorghum are better  suited as food sources; and waste products such as cellulose from farm and zoo animals like zebras can be used very effectively for manufacturing biofuel.

Dr. Michel adds, however, that even if non-food plant substances like algae and manure are used instead of grains and sugar to produce biofuel, the overall inefficiencies of converting energy from sunlight into a chemical fuel product still do not warrant their use. He believes that more emphasis should be used in developing renewable energy, especially solar energy. The only exception involves aviation fuel which cannot be supplied by a source like an electric power plant (you can’t “plug in” and recharge a jet airliner).

While commercial airline companies may find a use for various types of biofuel, as well as the military and aeronautical and space agencies like NASA, developing biofuels for land vehicles like cars, buses, and trucks may not be as good an idea as previously thought.

Read more on biofuel:
Univerve’s Algae to Biofuel Your Car
Ethihad Jet Uses Biofuels for Inaugural Home Run
Algae Biofuel Closer and NATO and NASA Step into the Slime “Turd Timber” by Qteros Makes Bio Fuel from Human and Animal Excrement

The post Nobel Prize Plant Scientist Outspoken Against Biofuel Effiency appeared first on Green Prophet.

While Masdar and Suntech and other solar energy projects are laboring under expensive, high-tech materials in order to improve their energy-absorbing capability, MIT researchers in the United States are taking a different approach: using grass. (No, not that grass. Our articles on cannabis can be found here.)

They realized that nothing in nature absorbs energy as well as plants, so they have developed a solar technology that combines a small amount of grass (or other agricultural waste), a stabilizing powder made of zinc oxide and titanium oxide, and a glass or metal substrate which mimics the photosynthesis process. Eventually their technology will be so simple that anybody will be able to make their own solar panels for next to nothing. See our DIY solar panels pros and cons to know if setting up solar on your own is for you.

Photosynthesis packed for DIY home solar kits

According to the folks at Fastco Design, the MIT researchers have discovered how to “chemically stabilize plant-derived photosystem-I (PS-I), the structures inside plant cells that perform photosynthesis, on a substrate that creates electric current when exposed to light–all using readily-available materials.”

This solar cell then isolates PS-1 molecules and eventually carries an electrical current with the stabilizing powder.

So, instead of massive solar-panel producing factories that require a lot of natural materials, MIT’s technology could literally be packed in a small plastic bag and shipped off to anyone who wants to make their own solar panels at home.

DIY panels for anyone

If DIY enthusiasts can get their hands on a few grass clippings or other greenery and the substrate, then MIT only needs to ship out the zinc and titanium oxide and instructions for creating energy from this unlikely mix and a solar panel has been made.

Eventually, according to Andreas Mershin, people will be able to mix everything together and create a paint that can be applied to their roof. But there is a catch. At the moment, this technology doesn’t even have a 2% efficiency rate yet. But it will, and even that is plenty efficient given the small amount of resources necessary to create it.

This is what we call putting the sun’s power into the hands of the people. One day we won’t have to rely on the big money folks in order to have a little light in our homes.

More on Solar Panels in the Middle East:

DIY solar panels – pros and cons

Nanosolar’s Ultra Thin Solar Panels Could Go East

Abu Dhabi Prince Shames White House by Crowning Court Roof With Solar Panels

6 Hot Solar Projects From the Middle East and North Africa

image via Penywise, Morguefile

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