Carbohydrate biofuel I: Rootfuel studies in Mexico, Brazil, Zimbabwe and India
- Enable International, Wheaton, IL (United States)
{open_quotes}Rootfuel,{close_quotes} made by drying the fast-growing starchy-cellulosic taproots of certain members of the family Cucurbitaceae, has been under investigation by us since 1985. Rootfuel can be quickly dried to a much lower level of moisture content than seasoned wood, and also unlike wood, it contains a very small amount of lignin. If it is dry and burned with good draft, it can be burned more slowly than wood with very little smoke production. We studied rootfuel made from Cucurbita foetidissima roots in dry, deforested and well-populated rural lands of Mexico, Brazil, Zimbabwe and India under sponsorship of the Biomass Users Network, with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation. Our purpose was to evaluate rootfuel as a replacement for wood, dung and crop residues to improve indoor air quality for health reasons, and to take pressure off of the remaining trees. Acceptability has been uniformly high. Small test plots have been planted, and new rootfuel species have been identified and tested.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 115252
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/CP-200-8098; CONF-9508104-; ON: DE95009230; TRN: 95:006736-0033
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. meeting on biomass of the Americas, Portland, OR (United States), 21-24 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]; Related Information: Is Part Of Second biomass conference of the Americas: Energy, environment, agriculture, and industry. Proceedings; PB: 1741 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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