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Asia turns to plants for fuel - Governments seek crops to cut oil dependence
Most experts also believe that, using current technologies, there isn't enough land to make a serious dent in oil consumption. Some scientists say production will consume more conventional energy than it will save, and environmentalists came out this month against plans by Indonesia to convert millions of acres of rain forest on the island of Borneo into palm oil plantations.
June 11, 2006
by Associated Press
in Baltimore Sun
FARIDABAD, India // Indians know better than to eat the plum-sized fruit of the jatropha bush. It's poisonous enough to kill.
But with oil prices surging, the wild jatropha is experiencing a popularity of sorts - as a potential source for fuel for trucks and power stations. The government has identified 98 million acres of land where jatropha can be grown, hoping it will replace 20 percent of diesel consumption in five years.
"We have found that we can produce biodiesel from it. If we can keep the price down, the future looks bright," says R.K. Malhotra,... [continue via Web link]
"We have found that we can produce biodiesel from it. If we can keep the price down, the future looks bright," says R.K. Malhotra,... [continue via Web link]
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