Bio-fuel Source From Mesquite Trees

There are many pros and cons to using bio-fuels as an energy source. The rise in the price of corn and wheat, products normally used for food products is one of the many concerns. Bio-fuels are produced from living organisms (organic or food waste products). To be considered a bio-fuel the fuel must contain over 80% renewable materials. With solar, wind, coal, and of course oil, could Texas have another energy source? Probably not on a large scale but research is showing that farmers and ranchers might be able to produce enough ethanol fuel to sustain their own equipment and vehicles. The source is mesquite trees. Mesquite trees are a deciduous tree found mostly in Texas and parts of Northern Mexico. While the wood is commonly used for bar-b-que, typically the tree is a nuisance to farmers because of its ability to flourish in the dry, hot weather and it is almost impossible to rid a pasture of. Instead of the constant battle to burn, spray or rip this tree up from its roots, they may now be able to harvest it for fuel. Mesquite holds some promise as a viable bio-fuel for quite a few reasons. The first reason being that mesquite requires no cultivation. As most people who live where mesquite grows already know, mesquites need no watering. No fertilizing. No weed control. No cultivation at all. Dr. Jim Ansley is a Rangeland Ecologist at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in College Station, Texas. He says the station has been conducting research into ethanol fuel technology and has developed a prototype mesquite harvester machine. Last month the machine was showcased as a part of the Texas Agricultural Research Center’s 2006 Range and Wildlife Field Day. Ansley says the mesquite harvesting machine will be ready for commercial production soon. While the cost and transport of the mesquite wood chips would prove too costly for mass urban refineries, it is hoped that the use of mesquite would help allay the cost of fuel on a smaller scale, and a widespread use would make a positive impact on the economy. According to Ansley, one ton of mesquite wood chips have the potential to produce 200 gallons of ethanol. By these calculations, an acre of dense mesquite trees could yield up to 2,000 gallons of fuel. A Commercial Ethanol Refinery has the potential of producing five million gallons of ethanol every year. Ansley would like to see the construction of 400 to 1,000 new ethanol refineries built in rural areas across the state of Texas. To protect the local ecosystem and remain sustainable, farmers would have to harvest only 10 percent of their mesquite trees. Mesquite has a ten year re-growth rate. With mesquite there is an added benefit. It would eliminate a nuisance to farmers and ranchers. By removing the mesquite it would improve the quality of grasses on the pasture and field conditions. Are bio-fuels a viable alternative to fossil fuels? Fuel from plant material such as trees and grasses are cheaper and more sustainable than products such as grains and corn which quite a few claims are unsustainable. This use of mesquite along with the other alternative fuels could drastically lessen our dependency on oil and coal. All alternatives should be explored and its effect on our environment determined. As a matter of fact I was reading an article about the use of……… (Algae as the next Bio-fuel?)

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