Scientists Hold Out Hope of Tripping on Tobacco

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 02/28/2012

A team of scientists led by a researcher from the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is exploring a way to produce gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from tobacco, according to a story by Dan Krotz for physorg.com. The team's goal is to engineer tobacco plants so that they use energy from sunlight to produce fuel molecules in their leaves. If the technology proves viable, the leaves will simply be crushed, and the fuel extracted. The scientists estimate that about 1,000 acres of tobacco would yield more than one million gallons of fuel. But these are early days yet. For the time being, the team is hoping to grow its first plant in about 18 months. Its ultimate goal is a plant in which between 20 per cent and 30 per cent of its dry weight comprises hydrocarbon. Promising plants will be grown in Kentucky in a pilot test overseen by the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, whose scientists will explore ways to optimize the plants' growth and harvest conditions. Enditem