Tropical maize produces 25% more sugar than currently used corn & needs muchless nitrogen fertilizer

[JohnWxy]

despite it's name, tropical maize can be grown in the midwest and requires less processing to make ethanol than the corn currently used.

Research being done at University of Illinois:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071016101454.htm


Storing simple sugars also is more cost-effective for the plant, because it takes a lot of energy to make the complex starches, proteins, and oils present in corn grain. This energy savings per plant could result in more total energy per acre with topical maize, since it produces no grain.

"In terms of biofuel production, tropical maize could be considered the 'Sugarcane of the Midwest',"Below said. "The tropical maize we're growing here at the University of Illinois is very lush, very tall, and very full of sugar."

He added that his early trials also show that tropical maize requires much less nitrogen fertilizer than conventional corn, and that the stalks actually accumulate more sugar when less nitrogen is available. Nitrogen fertilizer is one of major costs of growing corn.

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The tall stalks of tropical maize are so full of sugar that producers growing it for biofuel production will be able to supply a raw material at least one step closer to being turned into fuel than are ears of corn.

[Vincardog]

1. Does Monsanto have the patton yet?

[JohnWxy]

2. God! Let's hope not! THis isn't a bioengineered plant.

[progressoid]

5. Once it's found to be of value, they'll modify a couple genes and call it their own.

Sadly.

[RC]

3. Why not just skip intermittent steps and go right to sugar beets and sugar cane?

But that still doesn't solve the problem of using crop land to grow fuel.

[izquierdista]

7. Using land to make fuel

You say that as though it is a bad thing. In the future, when there is no more fuel to extract from below the earth, there is going to be much more making fuel from land. It could be solar panels shading the land, algae ponds making biomass, or fields of switchgrass and cane where food could be grown. Fuel is just as necessary to survival as food; without fuel, it is very difficult to cook the food.

If your comment means that sometimes people make poor choices, growing a crop ill suited to making fuel when they could get a higher yield of food (and vice versa), then the answer is in better education and planning. Take Haiti as an example. They have a shortage of food AND fuel which could be remedied by better agricultural methods and soil conservation. They could plant tree crops which could yield edible fruit for people, fodder for livestock, and biomass for fuel. Not just one product from the land, but a balance of all three.

[GliderGuider]

8. Does the world consist simply of humans and resources?

Once we have appropriated all the biomass on the planet for human purposes (instead of the 40% or so we "own" now), what happens to the rest of the web of life? At what point between here and there does the ecological system break down? How will we tell we're getting near that point? How will we stop before we go past it?

It seems to me that the anthropocentric world view implicit in your post is part of the problem.

[izquierdista]

9. Any species can overpopulate the planet

And drain it of its resources. One would hope that humans could get control of their population before it consumes everything. If population is not kept in check, all hope is lost and no amount of planning will help. Nature preserves are part of the solution, for if you remove that land from human purposes, the maximum population that can be supported goes down.

Assuming that population control can be achieved, then there is the follow up question of whether it is better to have 3 billion people with a high standard of living, or 9 billion ekeing out an existence. I know which one I prefer, but telling religious people they can't breed more followers is a tough sell.

[GliderGuider]

10. Voluntary population reduction is out of the question.

There are far too many forces arrayed against such a course of action. We don't have the energy to generate enough Demographic Transition to make a difference, the demographics of the high-growth countries are all wrong (populations are too young), and women's education and empowerment (the low-energy alternative) will take too long.

We have 5-10 years before TSHTF on a global level. We're out of time. "You collapse with the population you have, not the population you want to have or wish you had..."

Oh, and those 3 billion people? If you want a high standard of living, count on no more than one billion, given the degraded biosphere and the loss of energy resources. Don't worry though, Mother Nature is going to take care of that end of things.

[Tashca]

4. Had to read twice.

I read the article and was immediately puzzled by the statement that this particular maize produces no grain. I thought how does this reproduce then??
I read the full article and realize it is because of day length so much longer in the summer in the midwest than in the tropics. I have to assume the seed for the production of this corn would have to be produced in the tropics.
I find this interesting. .....When a corn field is nearing maturity you can find a few stalks that are purple in color. When you observe these stalks you will find no ear. I have always been told this causes a build up of simple sugars.....I've never considered how these stalks could have value until now. This would be the closest we could probably come to sugar cane...
Interesting concept.

[losthills]

6. Great! Let's mow down the rainforests for Detroit!

[JohnWxy]

11. I'm confused, are there rainforests in the midwest???

[madokie]

12. Well theres lots of forest around here and it has been raining

;-)
Peace

[losthills]

13. There won't be any forests left anywhere

if we attempt to fuel our vehicles with ethanol.

peace...

[JohnWxy]

14. Major cause of deforestation? logging for building materials and furniture manufacture.

The most important direct causes of deforestation include logging, the conversion of forested lands for agriculture and cattle-raising, urbanization, mining and oil exploitation, acid rain and fire.

http://www.wrm.org.uy/deforestation/indirect.html


Logging is one of the major causes of deforestation. Over 80% of the world's ancient forests have been destroyed or degraded by logging (Figure 4; Greenpeace, 2001A). Many of the forests in Southeast Asia have existed since dinosaurs have walked the earth, roughly 70 million years ago (RIC, 2000A). The most commercially valuable trees are normally found in ancient forests, because they have some of the highest biodiverse ecosystems producing larger than average trees. In almost all substantial old-growth (ancient) forests, the primary cause of natural forest loss is certainly the timber industry (WWF, 2000).


http://kanat.jsc.vsc.edu/student/callahan/mainpage.htm#logging

[losthills]

16. You inundate this forum with advertisements for ethanol,

but you don't seem to have a basic understanding of the subject or a clue as to what you are talking about.

Perhaps you should consider studying this subject a little bit, and get back to us when you know what you're talking about....

[kristopher]

17. You don't honestly believe that answers the question?

It is like a child whining "He's doing it, why can't I????"

[amandabeech]

15. Actually, there's plenty of abandoned or about to be abandoned

land in and around Detroit that you could grow a bundle of this stuff.

That is, so long as the distillation process would keep the lead, PCBs and mercury out of the resulting fuel.

Tropical maize ethanol production could be the new growth industry in southeastern Michigan!!

Don't flame me, fellow Michiganders. I'm just an ex-pat on a break from my job.

[losthills]

18. There is not enough land to produce enough fuel crops

of any kind to produce enough ethanol to really help us. And it does not help with global warming, or to reduce our oil consumption, because it requires lots of oil to produce ethanol.

Ethanol production enriches the oil companies and large land owners and impoverishes the rest of us by driving up food prices and land prices, leads to food shortages, and pounds the nail in all our coffins by increasing global warming exponentially because of massive deforestation. These things are all ocurring right now, and have been reported in this forum on a regular basis.

[amandabeech]

19. Lost Hill, I've been aware of the substance of your post for some time.

My previous post was a bad attempt at a little sarcastic and ironic humor. Obviously, I should have posted a smiley or a sarcasm tag.

And until a few months ago, I was a regular here for several years.

However, there may come a time when every little bit of liquid fuel will help, and I wouldn't want to rule out anything on the basis that it will not fill everyone's tank. Much of the land in our older, industrial cities may be too contaminated to do anything but perhaps grow vegetables in VERY raised beds. If growing plants for non-fuel purposes would be a good use of that land, I have no objection.