MISSOURI, the SHOW ME STATE

This just in from the Show Me State
Retrieved by Pat Darnell

"Has anyone done research into using kudzu for biofuel?"
by Byron Bowles | Stockton, Mo.

--- Kudzu Extract LINK -- Ask AP

" ... Most efforts today are aimed at trying to kill kudzu, an invasive vine-like weed that has cost billions of dollars in lost crops. However, it has potential as an ingredient for biofuels.

A 2008 study concluded that, under certain conditions, kudzu could produce about 400 liters of ethanol per acre, on par with an acre of corn. The study was conducted by the University of Toronto and the U.S. Agriculture Department's Agriculture Research Service.

The next step is a large-scale project that could prove using kudzu to make ethanol is economically feasible, University of Toronto Professor Rowan Sage said.

That has yet to occur. One reason could be that investment in many areas of alternative energy virtually dried up as the recession took hold and gas prices fell.

Agrogas, which is based in Cleveland, Tenn., is working to raise capital to finance a project to prove the viability of commercial production of ethanol using kudzu. It already has operated test vehicles using limited quantities.

"It's quite a usable fuel and we're making it out of something nobody wants here in the South," Argogas co-founder Doug Mizell said. ... "

Sandy Shore | AP Energy Writer | Denver

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Botanical Extract LINK:
" ...
Grape Seed Extract
Kudzu Extract
Milk Thistle Extract
Pine Bark Extract
Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract Rhodiola Extract
Red Clover Extract
Schisandra Chinensis Extract
Siberian Ginseng Extract
Soybean Extract ... "