Researchers want to produce biodiesel at the coast. Building on last week’s post, University of Delaware researchers are interested in developing a type of mallow, the seashore mallow, for biodiesel and ethanol production:

And unlike soybeans and corn, which require annual plantings on valuable farmland to feed the growing appetite for biofuels, the pink-flowered seashore mallow is both a perennial and a halophyte, or salt-tolerant plant, that can grow in areas where other crops can’t.

“You don’t have to divert land that is presently used for producing food and feed to the process of making biodiesel,” said Gallagher, who runs UD’s Halophyte Biotechnology Center with his wife and fellow researcher, Denise Seliskar.

Coastal intrusion of seawater is important in many parts of the world, with more than 20 countries actively studying saltwater food crops. But the idea to use some of these crops as a fuel source is a more recent development. As it happens, seashore mallow comes from the same plant family as cotton, and has an oil content similar to soybeans and cottonseed.

At least for now, first-generation biofuels (those made from food crops) seem like they’ll be sticking around for awhile, and the door is wide-open for niche biofuel feedstocks that don’t compete with our food supply. But the there’s an underlying concept here that’s even more important: finding solutions to ecological problems that preserve or enhance ecosystem services. Many of these services are taken for granted (coastal buffers being a big one - think about the last tsunami), but they carry out tasks nearly impossible to emulate economically. The existing Canadian Boreal forest, for example, is more valuable for its role in water purification and regional climate impact than the the total profit from cutting down and processing the entire forest. This is an extreme example, but it highlights the importance of things we forget about at the smaller level too. While intact natural systems should be preserved at both macro and micro levels, there is also great potential to repair or enhance them.

While the seashore mallow might be handy for a quick snack, the sturdy plant also has provided Gallagher food for thought in addressing a smorgasbord of environmental problems, ranging from global warming to the disappearance of coastal farmland…

With the threat of sea water encroaching on farmland and coastal aquifers in response to global warming, Gallagher believes the seashore mallow could help preserve the economic value of arable land transitioning to marsh land.

Seashore mallow has other desireable attributes as well:

The meal left over after oil is extracted from mallow seeds has enough protein to be used for animal feed, while the stems, which multiply each year during the life of the plant, have potential for use in cellulosic ethanol, Gallagher said. The roots of the plant, cousin to one used by ancient Romans for a confection that lent its name to the marshmallow, could be used to make industrial gum.

A crop that desalinates land, acts as a coastal buffer, increases biodiversity, and provides a sustainable fuel and animal feed source? Sounds like a winner. While seed yields need to increase before commercialization is realistic, halophytic crops could fill a vast niche:

According to Bushnell, some 250 halophytes are potential food staple crops, while thousands more might be available as fuel biomass. With two-thirds of the earth’s available fresh water used for conventional agriculture and more than 40 percent of its land mass considered desert or wasteland, the advantages of agriculture using marginal soils and abundant seawater are readily apparent, according to Bushnell.

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UD researcher sees biofuel potential in salt-tolerant plant

Photo Credit: Delaware Online