There’s a new candidate on the spotlight to be used as a source for biofuel production – the tequila plant! According to a recent study by the University of Sydney agronomist Associate Professor Daniel Tan (collaborating with international and Australian colleagues), bioethanol from the agave plant is a better crop choice than sugar or corn.
Lead author Dr. Xiaoyu Yan, who led the lifecycle assessment, said:
Our analysis highlights the possibilities for bioethanol production from agave grown in semi-arid Australia, causing minimum pressure on food production and water resources. The results suggest that bioethanol derived from agave is superior to that from corn and sugarcane in terms of water consumption and quality, greenhouse gas emissions, as well as ethanol output.
The high-sugar succulent, widely grown in Mexico to make the alcoholic drink tequila, produces comparable or better yields of ethanol and requires no irrigation. And not only can agave be used to make tequila and biofuel, but the ethanol produced can be used to make hand sanitizer. Also, a genetically modified bacterium from tequila can be used to make synthetic cannabinoids.
Associate Professor Tan said:
Agave is an environmentally friendly crop that we can grow to produce ethanol-based fuels and healthcare products. It can grow in semi-arid areas without irrigation; it does not compete with food crops or put demands on limited water and fertilizer supplies. Agave is heat and drought tolerant and can survive Australia’s hot summers.
The idea to use agave to make biofuel arose as an environmentally friendly solution to Australia’s transport fuel shortage. The scientists suggest that farms could be established in semi-arid Australia. MSF Sugar is already growing the agave plant to use as a biofuel source on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland, but more plants would be needed to make enough fuel to help fight climate change.
Agave uses 46% less water than corn and 69% less water than sugar cane for the same yield. Also, since it can tolerate high temperatures and water shortages, it can grow on land that would otherwise go unused because other crops wouldn’t be able to survive in such harsh conditions.
As long deforestation doesn’t need to happen, and valuable agricultural land doesn’t need to be used, green biofuels could serve as a means to achieving the zero-emissions future envisioned by the Paris climate agreement. Other potential candidates aside from agave include hemp, sorghum, and saltbush.
