Feed your cattle, fuel your Mustang:
Sweet sorghum is not just for breakfast anymore. Although sorghum is a source for table syrup, scientists see a future in which we convert sorghum to biofuel, rather than relying on fossil fuel. That potential just grew as University of Florida researchers found three UF/IFAS-developed sorghum varieties could produce up to 1,000 gallons of ethanol per acre.
"Sweet sorghum has the potential to be an effective feedstock for ethanol production," said Wilfred Vermerris, a UF/IFAS professor of microbiology and cell science and a co-author on the study.
Ethanol produced from sweet sorghum can be used for auto and jet fuel, UF/IFAS researchers said.
UF/IFAS researchers picture big fuel potential from sorghum partly because it's so abundant. Sorghum is the fifth largest cereal crop in the world and the third largest in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2014, the U.S. was the largest producer of sorghum in the world.
UF/IFAS scientists like sorghum because it can be cultivated twice a year in Florida, requires little fertilizer, uses water efficiently and can be drought resistant, UF/IFAS research shows.
Combine this with terra preta to get more harvests per year and they might have something.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by requerdanos on Friday December 15 2017, @03:13PM (6 children)
I'd be curious what the sorghum or sugarcane would then be literally made out of, given that it could not in that event be taking minerals, compounds, nor elements from "the soil" (there being none). Water is hydrogen, oxygen, trace random "other". Where's the carbon coming from? The nitrogen?
I am not saying you are wrong--I quite believe you--I am just curious.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @04:12PM
There is plenty of carbon and nitrogen in the air...
Most plants need the nitrogen from the ground (don't know about this one), but some can pick it out of the air, and the carbon (almost?) always primarily comes out of the air.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by HiThere on Friday December 15 2017, @05:54PM (3 children)
The big three for plants (and other life) are C H O & N. Unfortunately, Nitrogen can't be absorbed from the air by multicellular plants, though some have made a deal with bacteria (see legumes). Even more unfortunately, there are lots of trace minerals that are also needed, e.g. Phosphorous. But as so much water is highly polluted with fertilizers (see "dead zone") the needed stuff may already be present in the water you use. You need to test to make sure.
As for "literally grow in a bucket of water" look up hydroponics. Also Water Lily (Nymphaea aquatica), algae, water-hyacinth. That's not a unreasonable claim, but most land plants need to get air to their roots or they drown, and I don't know about sorghum.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Friday December 15 2017, @08:28PM (1 child)
Is this the Spanish Inquisition?
(Score: 3, Funny) by Joe Desertrat on Friday December 15 2017, @10:58PM
I...can't...resist...
NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!
(Score: 2, Informative) by Crash on Saturday December 16 2017, @04:11AM
I've noticed that with my (mostly) succulent garden outdoors:
The various plants will root and grow just fine in a wide stainless steel bowl of water and tree leaves, whereas
They rot and die in planters that contained wet dense soil, and
Mostly rotted with limited rooting in hourglass-shaped glass vases filled with water.
Indoors in the windowsill, the same plants are able to root in cylindrical glasses or cylindrical aluminum mugs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @09:43PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis [wikipedia.org]
My kid learned this in 2nd grade...