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 Increased
dependence on motorised transport, diminishing mineral resources
and increased global warming means that governments around the
world are turning their attention to a range of alternative fuel
sources
Crop plants, such as oil seed rape, offer the potential for
industrial-scale renewable energy supplies – vegetable oils
can be converted to bio-diesel and starches to bio-ethanol, a
petrol substitute. But land availability, demand on water and crop
yields mean bio-fuels are still an expensive option - the race is
on to find a way to make bio-fuel cost effective.
Researchers at the University of Durham working with Arabidopsis
thaliana, commonly known as Thale Cress, have established genes
within the plant which can act as molecular switches; if
“turned on” in tissues like leaves and stems, they
promote massive accumulation of starch and oil. These molecular
switches activate the whole biosynthetic pathway, allowing
significant production of raw materials for energy in areas of
plant tissue other than the seed, which is where they usually
accumulate.
It’s a win/win situation - the production of energy from
specially grown crops is 'carbon neutral' – the energy
producing elements are made in the plant from carbon dioxide taken
up from the air. Any CO2 released back into the
atmosphere is only replacing that taken out to make the oils and
starches in the first place, so there is no contribution to global
warming.
The beauty of this research is that it is not only applicable to
bio-fuels – if the team can consistently identify these
molecular switches it could have huge impact on agriculture,
particularly in countries where good agricultural land is
sparse.
Footage:
- Traffic on roads
- Oilseed Rape crop in fields
- Laboratory research – University of Durham
Interviewees:
- Professor Keith Lindsey, School of Biological & Biomedical
Sciences, University of Durham
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