JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES!!!!

It is a weed that grows all over central North America all by itself, and can be grown practically anywhere else, from the rich plains of Illinois to the poor soils of Wyoming. It can be grown on land most farmers would scoff at. Being native to this continent, it is immune to just about every bad bug and spore America has to offer.

Properly (& extrememly easily) cultivated, it can produce as much as 15 tons of tubers per acre, yielding approximately 1,200 gallons of ethanol per acre (if my memory serves me, corn is around 400 g.p.a.).

Even though it is a delicacy, especially in France (they eat anything), it is not a food commodity crop, so it doesn’t take porage away from the starving Ethernopians.

In fact, it can be used as feedstock for cattle as well as ethanol distilation, both first and second generation processes.

It contains carbohydrates called Inulins, and cannot be fermented using regular Brewer’s yeast. But suing other starins of yeast such as Kluyveromyces fragilis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Torulopsis colliculosa or Saccharomyces fragilis it CAN be. That is na exceedingly small obstacle to overcome.

There was a scandal back in the 80′s surrounding these native wonder plants. Some say that it was the seed sellers, other say it was the equipment sellers, but the most believable accussation centers around several midwestern State Attorney Generals who were in the pocket of (now, get this) Big Corn!

For some reason, I tend to believe the latter….because it involves …ugh…”politicians”!

The great spoilers of great ideas!

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Oh, and…sawgrass is good, too!

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES!!!!

It is a weed that grows all over central North America all by itself, and can be grown practically anywhere else, from the rich plains of Illinois to the poor soils of Wyoming. It can be grown on land most farmers would scoff at. Being native to this continent, it is immune to just about every bad bug and spore America has to offer.

Properly (& extrememly easily) cultivated, it can produce as much as 15 tons of tubers per acre, yielding approximately 1,200 gallons of ethanol per acre (if my memory serves me, corn is around 400 g.p.a.).

Even though it is a delicacy, especially in France (they eat anything), it is not a food commodity crop, so it doesn’t take porage away from the starving Ethernopians.

In fact, it can be used as feedstock for cattle as well as ethanol distilation, both first and second generation processes.

It contains carbohydrates called Inulins, and cannot be fermented using regular Brewer’s yeast. But suing other starins of yeast such as Kluyveromyces fragilis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Torulopsis colliculosa or Saccharomyces fragilis it CAN be. That is na exceedingly small obstacle to overcome.

There was a scandal back in the 80′s surrounding these native wonder plants. Some say that it was the seed sellers, other say it was the equipment sellers, but the most believable accussation centers around several midwestern State Attorney Generals who were in the pocket of (now, get this) Big Corn!

For some reason, I tend to believe the latter….because it involves …ugh…”politicians”!

The great spoilers of great ideas!

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Oh, and…sawgrass is good, too!

I’m not sure the Japanese have any E85 vehicles that are not big Truck/SUVs. Imho, they are being drug into ethanol. Without US competitors pushing for ethanol, the imports will be less likely to want to do anything that isn’t roadmapped in their home market. Is Japan going to ethanol?

If they aren’t or are behind the US, I suspect instead having some vehicles and no infrastructure, we’ll move to a phase where we have the infrastructure and no vehicles.

I’m not sure the Japanese have any E85 vehicles that are not big Truck/SUVs. Imho, they are being drug into ethanol. Without US competitors pushing for ethanol, the imports will be less likely to want to do anything that isn’t roadmapped in their home market. Is Japan going to ethanol?

If they aren’t or are behind the US, I suspect instead having some vehicles and no infrastructure, we’ll move to a phase where we have the infrastructure and no vehicles.