"The Mulching Mind"

Biofuel and the price of wood mulch

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What do we know about Biofuels?  What I have learned in the past couple of weeks is that the food based ethanols from corn and soybeans work, but there is growing concern on how this can impact food supply and prices.  In Europe and China there are major developments in turning wood into the next biofuel.  He in Georgia at UGA a team of engineers has developed a new biofuel and unlike previous fuels derived from wood, the new and still unnamed fuel can be blended with biodiesel and petroleum diesel to power conventional engines.

"The exciting thing about our method is that it is very easy to do," said Tom Adams, director of the UGA Faculty of Engineering outreach service. "We expect to reduce the price of producing fuels from biomass dramatically with this technique."

Since this is very embryonic in its development there are several tests to effectively evaluate its long term impact on engines, its emissions characteristics and the best way to transport and store it.  The research team is especially optimistic about the fuels impact on the environment.

Adams pointed out that the new biofuel also offers environmental benefits. The fuel is nearly carbon neutral, meaning that it does not significantly increase heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as long as new trees are planted to replace the ones used to create the fuel.

The researchers have also set up test plots in Tifton, Ga., to explore whether the charcoal that is produced when the fuel is made can be used as a fertilizer. Adams said that if the economics work for the charcoal fertilizer, the biofuel would actually be carbon negative.

"You're taking carbon out of the atmosphere when you grow a plant, and if you don't use all of that carbon and return some of it to the soil in an inert form, you're actually decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," Adams explained. "We're optimistic because in most types of soil, carbon char has very beneficial effects on the ecology of the soil, its productivity and its ability to maintain fertility."

So it seems that wood is the next generation of biofuel.  This is important to our industry simply because of the impact it could have on the cost of wood mulch.  This is a great example of how EnviroColor ® top spray is prepared to help the consumer keep the look they desire at their respective properties while continuing to strive for an environmentally sustainable solution to the incoming price increase of wood mulch.