Floating Plants Could Be New Biofuel
Keelin McCarthy
Summary
Recent studies have shown that a new biomass, duckweed, could provide energy in the future. Duckweed is an aquatic plant that grows on the surface of ponds and slow-moving streams. It has many characteristics that make it an excellent candidate for a new biofuel. First, it can be more easily collected than algae, and it lives in the water so no cropland has to be used to grow it. Also, duckweed is not part of the human palet so its not taking away a food source. It is, however, currently sheltering small fish and a food supply for young geese, ducks, and other game. Scientists are confident that duckweed could be the next inexpensive fuel supply.
Connection
Duckweed is an aquatic plant that thrives because of its habitat. It lives like a symbiant, getting enough water easily without spending much energy, while sheltering the other aquatic animals and acts as a food source to others. This article relates to our unit because, duckweed is suggested as a new biofuel because it is so abundantly found. Its ability to grow and dominate the aquatic niches, emphasizes the difficulty of life on land. Although there are many positives, there are negatives too and the duckweed proves to be an adapted angiosperm that remains close to the water, showing how controlling water and a food source can be.
Floating Plants Could Be New Biofuel
Voice of America- author not listed
7 March 2013
http://www.voanews.com/content/floating-plants-could-be-new-biofuel/1617116.html
How much energy can it produce in comparison to gasoline for combustion?
ReplyDeleteCompared to gasoline and other fuels currently used, duckweed does not compare. As of now, duckweed is not expected to ever produce the energy that fuel produces today,but as we look at more natural resources, it has potential to be one of the top supplementary biofuels.
DeleteCould using duckweed greatly harm the animals that use it for shelter or is it not very prevalent?
ReplyDeleteDuckweed reproduces quickly, and if it is used as a biofuel, farms will be set up where the main focus is growing duckweed. Therefore, there will always be a strong, abundant supply of duckweed that most likely won't have too much of an impact on the animals.
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