Petroleum Plantations

  • Melvin Calvin
Chapter
Part of the Contemporary Issues in Science and Society book series (CISS)

Abstract

Photosynthesis is examined as an annually renewable resource for material and energy. The production of fermentation alcohol from sugar cane as a major source of materials for chemical feedstocks is examined as well as the direct photosynthetic production of hydrocarbons from known plant sources. Experiments are underway to analyze the hydrocarbons from Euphorbias and other hydrocarbon containing plants with a view toward determining their various chemical components. In addition, experimental plantings of several species of Euphorbias have begun to obtain data on which species would be most successful. Using Euphorbia lathyris, there are indications that we may expect a yield of approximately ten barrels of hydrocarbon material per acre in a seven-month growing period on semiarid land.

Keywords

Sugar Cane Natural Rubber Glutaric Acid Fossil Carbon Phosphoglyceric Acid 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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References

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Copyright information

© The HUMANA Press Inc. 1979

Authors and Affiliations

  • Melvin Calvin
    • 1
  1. 1.Laboratory of Chemical BiodynamicsUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeleyUSA

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