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MAR 30, 2015 @ 11:43 PM 4,283 VIEWS.

Research Confirms That Carbon Dioxide Led To Higher Temperatures In The Past.
http://www.forbes.com//research-confirms-that-carbon-diox/

Comments

Anumakonda Jagadeesh Facebook 26 May 2015

PLANT CAM PLANTS LIKE AGAVE AND OPUNTIA TO
REDUCE HIGH TEMPERATURES.
Excellent.
It is a tragedy hundreds of deaths took place even in
temperatures below 45 degrees Celsius. There were
places in Andhra Pradesh like Rentachintala which
experience high temperatures in summer.
In Rajasthan to face hot temperatures people use neem
leaves on head.
Common sense tells us that CAM plants act as Carbon
Sink. Crassulacean acid metabolism, also known
as CAM photosynthesis, is a carbon fixation pathway
that evolved in some plants as an adaptation
to arid conditions. In a plant using full CAM,
the stomata in the leaves remain shut during the day to
reduce evapotranspiration, but open at night to

collect carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 is stored as the

four-carbon acid malate in vacuoles at night, and then in
the daytime, the malate is transported
to chloroplasts where it is converted back to CO2, which is
then used during photosynthesis. The pre-collected CO2 is
concentrated around the enzyme RuBisCO,
increasing photosynthetic efficiency. That is why they
occur naturally in desert regions.
Thanks to the wonders of nature we have care free
growth,regenerative CAM plants like Agave and Opuntia
which acts as Carbon Sink.
Traditionally Agave(Small size) and Opuntia(Small sizes)
are placed in front of the compound in pots. Also they are
tied on the sunshade before entrance. To give it more
religious importance they are claimed to dispel
DISHTI(Bad glances from eyes.) There is more science in
this. Both are CAM plants and they act as Carbon Sink.
Carbion Dioxide emission has a direct influence of rise in
temperatures. How is it that heat waves are claimimng
hundreds of lives even at 43 degrees Celsius which is
common in Andhra Pradesh?

Government of AP and Union Government can take steps

to plant Agave and Opuntia in a massive scale in waste
lands and to encourage every household to go in for CAM
Plants like Agave and Opuntia(Small omnes) in pots. Last

week I was in Newjersey and found Agave plants in pots

before the houses.

Apart from acting as Carbon Sink these CAM plants are

source of Bioenergy.
Bio Energy as Alternate Fuel - An Action Plan for India
Agave tequilana weber may yield up to 2,000 gallons of
distilled ethanol per acre per year and from 12,00018,000 gallons per acre per year if their cellulose is
included, some 14 dry tons of feedstock per acre every
year.
These figures far outshine the plants that are dominating
ethanol and bio fuels R&D and investment today, not only
in terms of potential ethanol yield per acre, but also in
terms of energy balance (the ratio of energy in the
product to the energy input to produce it), as well as
actual and prospective planted acreage.
Corn ethanol, for example, has an energy balance ratio of
1.3 and produces approximately 300-400 gallons of
ethanol per acre. Soybean bio diesel with an energy
balance of 2.5, typically can yield 60 gallons of bio diesel
per acre while an acre of sugar cane can produce 600800 gallons of ethanol with an energy balance of 8.0. An
acre of poplar trees can yield more than 1,500 gallons of
cellulosic ethanol with an energy balance of 12.0,
according to a National Geographic study published in
October 2007.

According to Arturo Velez, Agave Expert:

On an annualized basis agave produces 3X more distilled
ethanol than sugar cane in Brasil; 6X more distilled
ethanol than yellow corn in the US; at least 3X more
cellulosic ethanol than switchgrass or poplar tree.
Producing one gallon of distilled ethanol from agave costs
at the most half the cost of one gallon from sugar cane
and one fourth of corn's production cost.
One hectare of Agave captures at least 5X more CO2
than one hectare of the fastest growing Eucalyptus on a
high density plantation and in one single year agave
produces the same cellulose pulp Eucalyptus produces in
5 years..
CAM species such as Agave show considerable promise as
a biofuel crop for the future due to their high water-use
efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress (e.g., drought and
high temperatures), and potential for high biomass
production on marginal lands .
The optimal use of water to grow a selected feedstock is
of critical importance because water scarcity, more than
any other factor, determines whether land is suitable for
growing food crops. Thus, growing plants with high
water-use efficiency on land that is too dry to grow food
crops is a potentially powerful strategy for producing
biomass feed stocks in large amounts while minimizing
competition with the food supply. Additionally, making
productive use of semi-arid land can have positive effects
on poor rural areas. The water-use efficiency (WUE)
value (grams CO2 fixed/kilogram water transpired) varies

markedly among plants with different types of

photosynthetic metabolism. C3 plants typically have WUE
values of 13; C4 plants, between 2 and 5; whereas
crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants have values
between 10 and 40. Therefore, CAM plants can be
cultivated in arid or semi-arid land normally unsuitable
for the cultivation of most C3 and C4 crops. It is
exceedingly unlikely that a C3 or C4 plant could be
developed, with or without genetic modification, with
water-use efficiency approaching that of CAM
plants.Moreover, CAM plants are native to essentially
every state in the USA except Alaska, although they are
prominent parts of ecosystems only in the Southwest.
In spite of this potential, CAM plants have received much
less systematic study or development as energy crops
relative to inherently less water-efficient plants such as
corn (maize), sugarcane, switch grass Miscanthus, poplar,
sugar beets, Jatropha, soy, and canola.
Cellulose content is far more in Agave Americana
compared to Deciduous Wood,sugarcane,wheat
straw,corn stover and switch grass while lignin content is
far less in Agave Americana as compared to the others
mentioned.
A group of Mexican researchers believe they've
discovered what they call the "missing energy crop," and
though it hasn't exactly been missing-it grows
abundantly in Mexico and in some southern U.S. and
South American locations-these scientists claim agave

possesses characteristics superior to other feedstocks

currently being examined for biofuel purposes, such as
cellulosic ethanol production.
Agave is arguably one of the most significant plants in
Mexican culture. It has a rosette of thick fleshy leaves,
each of which usually end in a sharp point with a spiny
margin, and is commonly mistaken for cacti.
President Barack Obamas Plan to tackle Climate Change
includes, The US will increase its research and
development of bio ethanol as fuel. I believe biomass and
ethanol are a part of the solution and belong in the green
transition. Yet bio fuels and ethanol are many things. Not
all are green and not all are sustainable in the broadest
sense. For bio ethanol to belong in the green economy it
has to deliver substantial greenhouse gas savings and
avoid negative impact on food prices. Only then will it be
good business for farmers and good for the climate. The
technology is available and ready to be scaled up. Second
generation bio ethanol is an emerging market with the
potential to reduce 85 pct. of CO2 emission compared to
regular fossil fuels in transportation. It is also a local
resource increasing energy independence and creating
local jobs in agriculture, factories and logistics.. It is
most welcome.
Hitherto Corn and Sugarcane are used in the biofuel
production. In the debate on FOOD Vs FUEL, it is
necessary to find alternatives.

Agave has a huge advantage, as it can grow in marginal

or desert land, not on arable land, and therefore would
not displace food crops, says Oliver Inderwildi, at the
University of Oxford. The majority of ethanol produced in
the world is still derived from food crops such as corn and
sugarcane. Speculators have argued for years now that
using such crops for fuel can drive up the price of food.
Agave, however, can grow on hot dry land with a highyield and low environmental impact. The researchers
proposing the plants use have modeled a facility in
Jalisco, Mexico, which converts the high sugar content of
the plant into ethanol.
The research, published in the journal Energy and
Environmental Science, provides the first ever life-cycle
analysis of the energy and greenhouse gas balance of
producing ethanol with agave. Each megajoule of energy
produced from the agave-to-ethanol process resulted in a
net emission of 35 grams of carbon dioxide, far below the
85g/MJ estimated for corn ethanol production. Burning
gasoline produces roughly 100g/MJ.The characteristics
of the agave suit it well to bioenergy production, but also
reveal its potential as a crop that is adaptable to future
climate change, adds University of Oxford plant scientist
Andrew Smith. In a world where arable land and water
resources are increasingly scarce, these are key
attributes in the food versus fuel argument, which is
likely to intensify given the expected large-scale growth
in biofuel production.

Agave already appeared to be an interesting bio ethanol

source due to its high sugar content and its swift growth.
For the first time Researchers at the universities of
Oxford and Sydney have now conducted the first lifecycle analysis of the energy and greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions of agave-derived ethanol and present their
promising results in the journal Energy & Environmental
Science.
On both life cycle energy and GHG emissions agave
scores at least as well as corn, switch grass and
sugarcane, while reaching a similar ethanol output. The
big advantages agave has over the before mentioned
plants is that it can grow in dry areas and on poor soil,
thus practically eliminating their competition with food
crops and drastically decreasing their pressure on water
resources.
Plants which use crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM),
which include the cacti and Agaves, are of particular
interest since they can survive for many months without
water and when water is available they use it with an
efficiency that can be more than 10 times that of other
plants, such as maize, sorghum, miscanthus and
switchgrass. CAM species include no major current or
potential food crops; they have however for centuries
been cultivated for alcoholic beverages and low-lignin
fibres.

They may therefore also be ideal for producing biofuels

on land unsuited for food production.
In Mxico, there are active research programs and
stakeholders investigating Agave spp. as a bioenergy
feedstock. The unique physiology of this genus has been
exploited historically for the sake of fibers and alcoholic
beverages, and there is a wealth of knowledge in the
country of Mxico about the life history, genetics, and
cultivation of Agave. The State of Jalisco is the
denomination of origin of Agave tequilana Weber var.
azul, a cultivar primarily used for the production of
tequila that has been widely researched to optimize
yields. Other cultivars of Agave tequilana are grown
throughout Mxico, along with the Agave fourcroydes
Lem., or henequen, which is an important source of fiber
that has traditionally been used for making ropes. The
high sugar content of Agave tequilana may be valuable
for liquid fuel production, while the high lignin content of
Agave fourcroydes may be valuable for power generation
through combustion.
Along with Agave species described above, some other
economically important species include A. salmiana, A.
angustiana, A. americana, and A. sisalana. Agave
sisalana is not produced in Mxico, but has been an
important crop in regions of Africa and Australia.
Information collected here could thus be relevant to
semi-arid regions around the world.

Agave is a CAM Plant. Crassulacean acid metabolism, also

known as CAM photosynthesis, is a carbon fixation
pathway that evolved in some plants as an adaptation to
arid conditions in a plant using full CAM, the stomata in
the leaves remains shut during the day to reduce
evapotranspiration, but open at night to collect carbon
dioxide (CO2). The CO2 is stored as the four-carbon
acidmalate, and then used during photosynthesis during
the day. The pre-collected CO2 is concentrated around
the enzyme RuBisCO, increasing photosynthetic
efficiency. Agave and Opuntia are the best CAM Plants.
Agave Competitive Advantages
* Thrives on dry land/marginal land. Most efficient use of
soil, water and light
* Massive production. Year-around harvesting
* Very high yields with very low or no inputs
* Very high quality biomass and sugars
* Very low cost of production. Not a commodity, so prices
are not volatile
* Very versatile: biofuels, byproducts, chemicals
* World-wide geographical distribution
* Enhanced varieties are ready.
Another plant of great use is OPUNTIA for biofuel / biogas
production.
The cultivation of nopal((OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA), a type
of cactus, is one of the most important in Mexico.

According to Rodrigo Morales, Chilean engineer, Wayland

biomass, installed on Mexican soil, allows you to
generate inexhaustible clean energy. Through the
production of biogas, it can serve as a raw material more
efficiently, by example and by comparison with jatropha.
Wayland Morales, head of Elqui Global Energy argues that
an acre of cactus produces 43 200 m3 of biogas or the
equivalent in energy terms to 25,000 liters of diesel.
With the same land planted with jatropha, he says, it will
produce 3,000 liters of biodiesel.
Another of the peculiarities of the nopal is biogas which is
the same molecule of natural gas, but its production does
not require machines or devices of high complexity. Also,
unlike natural gas, contains primarily methane (75%),
carbon dioxide (24%) and other minor gases (1%), so it
has advantages from the technical point of view since it
has the same capacity heat but is cleaner, he says, and
as sum datum its calorific value is 7,000 kcal/m3.
Javier Snchez et al in their extensive study on Opuntia as
potential input for bioethanol concluded:
Prickly pear is a widely-known crop in the SE of Spain,
where it is currently used for forage, fodder and fruit.
Now it is being considered as a potential crop for
bioethanol production from its whole biomass. In order to
estimate the potential bioethanol production in the
province of Almeria (SE-Spain) and the optimal location
of bioethanol processing plants, a GIS analysis involving
a predictive yield model of prickly
pear biomass was undertaken following specific

restriction criteria. According to this analysis, the total

potential bioethanol production in Almeria would be up to
502,927.8 t dmyear1 from 100,616 ha maximum that
could be cultivated with prickly pear, with a calculated
yield ranging between 4.2 and 9.4 t dmha1year1. An
exclusive suitability analysis and a preferable suitability
analysis based on the
Analytic Hierarchy Process were performed in order to
estimate the optimal location of the subsequent
processing plants within Almerias road network by a
discrete location-allocation model.(Javier Snchez ,
Francisco Snchez , Mara Dolores Curt & Jess Fernndez
(2012) Assessment of the bioethanol potential of prickly
pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) biomass obtained
from regular crops in the province of Almeria (SE Spain),
Israel Journal of Plant Sciences, 60:3, 301-318).
In the developing countries like India which has vast
waste land Opuntia can be grown along with Agave for
Biofuel/Biogas and subsequent power generation.
Agave and Opuntia can be grown in huge areas of waste
lands in Developing countries like India. Another route of
power production is biogas generation from Agave as well
as Opuntia. Biogas power generators are commercially
available. This way power can be generated at local level
with local resources. Both agave and Opuntia are
regenerative plants.
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com

Opuntia Farm

Biogas from Opuntia

Agave Farm

CAM Plants in my House since

Years(Nellore,India)

ASIA
Hundreds die in India heat wave

Death toll from severe heat wave reportedly crosses 500, with the country's southern
states the worst affected.
25 May 2015 16:38 GMT |

The

government of Andhra Pradesh has declared the situation caused by the heat wave as
"alarming" [AFP]
The death toll from a severe heat wave has risen to 500 in India, with at least 470 of the
deaths reported in India's two southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Hospitals in both states were flooded with patients suffering from sun stroke and
dehydration from the intense heat, as the weather office predicted similar conditions for
the next two weeks.
The situation has been aggravated further with frequent power cuts.
Some people complained that the water supply at the hospital in Visakhapatnam city of
Andhra Pradesh was irregular, and fans were not functioning.
The government of Andhra Pradesh had last week declared the situation caused by the
heat wave was "alarming" and appealed to people not to venture out between 11am and
4pm.
The chief minister of the state also announced it would deliver aid of one lakh rupees
($1572) to the families of victims of heat wave.
Humidity
Al Jazeera's senior weather presenter, Rob McElwee, said: Temperatures this high
occur elsewhere in the world and are survivable, but its the level of humidity which
causes heat stress.

"Chennais 42C on Monday was accompanied by 43 percent relative humidity. These

two figures together, temperature and humidity, create a dangerous heat stress
environment.
Meanwhile, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials in southern Hyderabad city
said that the acute heat would continue for the next two weeks.
"In coastal Andhra Pradesh, the temperature now in most of the districts is between 43
and 47C. In Telangana (a neighbouring state), most of the places recorded 40 to 45C.
Severe heat wave conditions persist in both states. This is expected to continue today
and tomorrow. After that, both the states would get some relief as we expect rainfall.
Temperatures would fall by three to four degrees but the relief would only be temporary.
This type of heat wave would continue till the onset of monsoon over the southern
coast," said IMD assistant director, M Narasimha Rao, in Hyderabad.
He added that the monsoon, which was expected to hit the southern Kerala coast on
May 30, would reach Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by the first week of June,
providing respite to people.
The twin southern states have so far been the worst affected from this year's heat wave.
India has long-suffered deadly heat waves and periods of extreme temperatures have
led to thousands of deaths since the 1990s.
Northern, western and central parts of India suffer intense heat waves from mid-April to
July before monsoon rains hit the region and provide relief.
Source: Al Jazeera And Reuters

Comments

Anumakonda Jagadeesh Facebook 26 May 2015

Aljazeera English Website

CAM plants like Agave and Opuntia which are care free
growth,regenerative which will act as Carbon Sink.Each
household may be encouraged to grow these plants in
pots in houses and can be grown on a massive scale in
vast waste lands which will act as input for
biofuel/biogas/biochar.
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP)