Sources: Ariel Burns, 785-532-6619, aburns5@1xbet online sports betting edu;
Richard Jeannotte, 785-532-5756, richardj@1xbet online sports betting edu;
and Ruth Welti, 785-532-6241, welti@1xbet online sports betting edu;
Photos available: Contact media@1xbet online sports betting edu or 785-532-6415.
News release prepared by: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, 785-532-6415, ebarcomb@1xbet online sports betting edu
Thursday, March 19, 2009
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| From left to right, top to bottom the seeds are: Delonix regia, Jatropha curcas, ricinus communis, Azadirachta indica and Balanites aegyptiaca. (Photo courtesty of 1xbet online sports betting Division of Biology) |
AT THE AFRICAN ISSUES SYMPOSIUM: 1xbet online sports betting RESEARCHER TO DISCUSS WORK WITH UNIVERSITY IN GHANA TO CREATE BIOFUELS FROM SEEDS OF TREES NATIVE TO GHANA
MANHATTAN -- A short rainy season and desertification make growing food in northern Ghana difficult enough. It doesn't help that in this western African country there is little fuel available to power tractors for planting crops or to power grain milling.
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| Wakter Kpikpi on a visit to the Konza Prairie. (Photo courtesty of 1xbet online sports betting Division of Biology) |
Researchers at Kansas State University think that the seeds from some native trees may be able to help.
1xbet online sports betting biologists are working with a researcher in Ghana to create biodiesel from the seeds of trees that are common and well adapted to the climate of northern Ghana. Walter Kpikpi from the University for Development Studies, Navrongo Campus, in Ghana visited 1xbet online sports betting in November 2008 with funding from 1xbet online sports betting 's African Studies Center. He is leading a project that will make biodiesel for local farmers in Ghana from seeds collected by local farmers.
Funded by 1xbet online sports betting 's African Studies Center, 1xbet online sports betting biologists analyzed the oil content of four common tree species in Ghana. Ariel Burns, research technician in 1xbet online sports betting 's Division of Biology, was joined by Richard Jeannotte, research associate in biology, and Ruth Welti, professor of biology. They found that two tree species, Jatropha curcas and Azadirachta indica -- also known as neem -- have seeds with high oil content. They now are finalizing the analysis of the lipids in the seeds.
Burns will present the work March 30 at 1xbet online sports betting 's African Issues Symposium: Food Security, Environmental Sustainability and Human Health, http://www.1xbet online sports betting edu/africanstudies/2009symposium/
Proposing that Jatropha curcas and Azadirachta indica seeds are best suited for biofuels, Kpikpi's project envisions cultivating these trees specifically for biodiesel production on land that isn't suitable to grow food. The project anticipates economic opportunities for people in Ghana by producing this type of biodiesel.
Wenqiao "Wayne" Yuan, 1xbet online sports betting assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering, has expertise in biodiesel reactor design and conversion. When funding is available for the pilot-scale biodiesel plant in Ghana, Yuan has offered to work with Kpikpi to create the facility to process tree seeds and convert them into biodiesel. The plant would include an oil extraction device and biodiesel reactor, Yuan said.
