Sugar Cane Jet Fuel

Alabama Baldwin County Corn cow manure even chicken grease have all been used to make alternative fuels. In the next couple of years you may be able to add sugar cane to that list.

by Debbie Williams

Published: Tue, October 21, 2008 - 5:34 pm CST Last Updated: Tue, October 21, 2008 - 6:28 pm CST

The Girby family has been farming sugar cane since the 1800's. "You learn something new everyday." Marshal Girby says their sugar cane is used to make molasses. But a test crop in Atmore may be the start of something different according to Alabama Governor Bob Riley. "Brazil is the only country that is energy independent and they do most of their ethanol, most of their gas, most of what they produce down there and they're going into jet fuel now, is from sugar cane."
One hundred acres near Holman Prison in Atmore is the test site for a variety of Brazilian sugar cane. It was planted about a month ago. If all goes according to plan this cane could lead to the next alternative fuel. "They have developed a molecule, a bug, that basically can turn sugar cane into a jet fuel," says Governor Riley.
It could take a couple of years before the experiment works but if it does, cane fields could be springing up all over South Alabama.
"If you had a 150 thousand acres of sugar cane here and had a contract with someone like the Air Force or a Fed Ex that was going to use this. It reduces the carbon footprint, it is clean and it's grown in the United States," says Riley.
For Marshal Girby, sugar cane means only one thing. "As long as I stay with them we're going to do molasses. When they get a plant in and get it running, if we make money out of it. We're not going to quit this."
Then again, if you can make jet fuel out of sugar cane, anything is possible.
The sugar cane project is funded by a 250 thousand dollar research grant. The crop should be mature and ready to harvest next fall.

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