Tobacco plants can replace gasoline

Thanks to genetic modification technology, plants that cause many human health problems can become a source of biofuels for engines.

Photo: bigmill.com.

According to AP, Professor Vyacheslav Andrianov, an expert on biotechnology of Thomas Jefferson University, USA, said tobacco is "an energy plant" because it can produce oil and sugar in much larger quantities. all other crops. He and his colleagues found that, if the genes of tobacco plants are changed, the amount of oil it produces will increase by 20%. One can use tobacco sugar and oil to produce gasoline and bio-oil.

"Every tobacco plant is a potential source of biofuels. I know tobacco farms are suffering in the last few years. So this finding could be an opportunity for tobacco farmers." , Matt Hartwig, spokesman for the Alternative Fuel Association, said.

It takes up to five years for genetically modified tobacco plants to produce biofuels to become a reality, but tobacco farms are showing interest in their opportunities, Professor Andrianov said. determined.

Scientists believe that the production of biofuel from tobacco will not threaten food security - which is a concern for soybeans, corn, cassava and many other food crops. People also do not burn tobacco plants to provide fuel for motorized vehicles. Instead, experts will only extract the sugars and oils from the leaves of the plants.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, tobacco production has decreased by 1.5% worldwide in the past 10 years. In the United States alone, production fell by 39% during the same period as the government encouraged farmers to switch to other crops. There are many causes of reduced tobacco production - such as reduced demand for cigarettes, health concerns, a ban on public smoking in many countries and opposition from public opinion. Assembly for smoking behavior.