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Funds to turn weed into biofuel

TARA GREAVES

07 February 2008 17:49

A pilot project to turn weeds into biofuel is among the schemes to share in more than £1m from a Norfolk organisation.

The first round of funding from the investment body Carbon Connections has gone to 11 projects including a 12-month demonstration aiming to boost the use of biofuels.

Attleborough-based Banham Poultry will team up with UEA's school of biological sciences to show how duckweed grown in wastewater from its farms and processing plants can be used as a fuel for vehicles.

There is widespread debate on the subject of biofuels and their future in a low-carbon society, with many environmentalists concerned about the impact on using agricultural land and rainforests for its production.

Last month, the government produced a report on the sustain-ability of biofuels, with calls for a delay or moratorium on the targets for this area.

But poultry farms and processing plants generate millions of litres of nutrient-rich wastewater which can support the growth of duckweed.

Rather than expending energy removing the weed, which often grows naturally, the Duckweed Project is planning to exploit it by converting it into bioalcohol to fuel vehicles.

Matt Dolan, Carbon Connections' spokesman, said: “The beauty of this project is its simplicity of concept. Rather than wasting energy in attempting to control the duckweed, Banham Poultry and UEA are encouraging its growth with a view to turning it into fuel; it's a win-win situation.”

The demonstration project also aims to show how the process can improve the quality of the water by reducing levels of inorganic contaminants such a nitrate and phosphate.

Carbon Connections is an investment body with a £3m fund from the Higher Education and Innovation Fund, based at UEA.

Its aim is to create a link between the business community and academic establishments to speed commercial development of carbon-saving projects.

Other schemes supported by the fund include a Broadland Housing Project measuring, building and monitoring low-carbon homes and creating a personalised travel planning tool which could encourage car-sharing by those driving to work.