Posted at 2:12 p.m., Friday, November 3, 2006
State touts potential for local biodiesel production
Advertiser Staff
The state Department of Agriculture yesterday said Hawai'i could produce enough biodiesel from local crops to fuel to reduce diesel imports by 20 percent.That finding was part of a study that looked into the potential of growing and processing crops, such as soybeans and flax, to produce biodiesel. The study, conducted by the Hawaii Agricultural Research Center, outlines production schemes for each of the seven main Hawaiian Islands, using information on specific crops, available sites, accessibility to resources, and energy requirements to determine potential for replacing petroleum-based diesel with biodiesel.
Primary constraints for biodiesel production on each island include land and water availability and the lack of a community of growers with knowledge of the production, according to the study.
