Tiny Super-plant Can Clean Up Animal Waste And Be Used For Ethanol Production
Date: 15.4.2009
Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that a tiny aquatic plant can be used to clean up animal waste at industrial hog farms and potentially be part of the answer for the global energy crisis.
Their research shows that growing **duckweed** on hog wastewater can produce five to six times more starch per acre than corn, according to researcher Dr. Jay Cheng. This means that ethanol production using duckweed could be "faster and cheaper than from corn," says fellow researcher Dr. Anne-Marie Stomp.
"We can kill two birds – **biofuel production** and **wastewater treatment** – with one stone – duckweed," Cheng says.
More on "Sciencedaily":[ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090407105257.htm]
