A farm by-product that usually goes to waste in China could be the fuel of the future, helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions throughout the country, according to research by US-based scientists.
In a study published last week in the scientific journal Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, scientists at Iowa State University in the United States said that corncobs could be used to produce the biofuel ethanol more efficiently and generate less greenhouse gases than other sources such as corn grain.
Blending ethanol with petrol can reduce vehicle emissions, something China plans to do nationwide by 2020 to meet its commitment to limiting its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
“Ethanol produced from corncob emits about 50 per cent less greenhouse gas than from corn [grain],” said Wang Yu, an energy policy researcher at the university and the lead author of the study. “But for now, corncobs are used to produce fuel ethanol in only one of seven biorefineries in China.”
Wang said that stronger government incentives were needed to encourage the use of corncobs in the fuel ethanol industry.
Date: August 15, 2018
Image: Google Images
Coordinator: EnvGuide Team
Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2159700/could-chinas-waste-mountain-corncobs-fuel-greener-future