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Zero waste, food sustainability and high “carbo†content makes seaweeds viable bio-fuel sourceBy ZecurB
Current human civilization as we know it is steadily if not exponentially increasing its demand for energy. The bulk of our supply depends on fossil fuel (petroleum, coal) but experts predict that this source of energy will not last even up to the next century. Maybe, even less. Furthermore, consumption of these fossil fuels has created a negative impact towards the environment due to the emission of pollutants and other “greenhouse gases that has derailed the world’s climate. This has eventually affected global food production due to the onset of the “El Niñoâ€, “La Niña†phenomena which continue to lay waste to vast tracts of agricultural areas and even affecting livestock as well.
All over the world there is a mad scramble to find alternative sources of energy. One group that is a promising source is gaining popularity. These are the bio-fuels. Among the bio-fuels that showed signs of viability are ethanol and bio-diesel. And Bohol, being an agricultural economy is fertile ground for initiatives in the preparations of the developing technologies and raw material sourcing.
During the press conference held at the Seglim Restaurant of Bohol Tropics Resort last Thursday afternoon, July 16, 2009 after the formal signing of Memorandum of Understanding on Marine Aquaculture between the Province of Bohol and the Republic of Korea, Dr. Gyungsoo Kim, President of the Biolsystems CO., Ltd. expounded to the members of the local media as to why the seaweeds was chosen fitting source of raw material for bio-ethanol production since seaweeds has very high carbohydrate content which is a good base for fermentation. Dr. Kim also added seaweeds is not one of the main sources of food production in the island province as compared to other raw materials such as corn, sugarcane, certain root crops, grains, fruit juices among others. The logic in that if ever large areas will be cultivated for the production of seaweeds this will not compete with other foods crops since this will be grown in the coastal areas while the food crops will continue to be grown and cultivated in the mainland thus continuing sustainability of food production. Furthermore, with the technology developed by Dr. Kim and Biolsystems, production of bio-ethanol from seaweeds produces zero-waste since the waste products or by-products can be used as good organic fertilizers, even thereby contributing to enrichment of the soil for the food crops in the mainland. More so, this is a sustainable source of energy since the raw materials can just be continuously planted.
Dr. Kim simplified in layman’s term how ethanol is produced. Raw material which is the seaweeds is hydrated (process of removing water or moisture) by a catalyst or enzyme to convert starches to sugar after which yeast is added to promote fermentation, distilled and further processed to produce the ethanol. Just similar to making the “tuba†or coco wine.
The Province of Bohol, saw the potentials of joining the bandwagon in the development of alternative particularly since Bohol is also an agricultural economy. And that this can also be a big contribution to the efforts towards poverty reduction due to the direct as well as indirect opportunities for livelihood not only to the province’s marginal fisher folks but to the Boholano people in general. Though it is just currently that the Province of Bohol delves into bio-ethanol development and production as the initiatives for the development of another bio-fuel which is bio-diesel production thru jatropha which had a head start, the provincial leadership envisions that these two initiatives will complement each other.
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