Can 1 miracle plant solve the world's 3 greatest problems?
Mother Nature Network — If someone were to tell you that they had a technology — a weed
actually — that could sequester huge amounts of carbon permanently while
lifting villagers out of poverty by providing both protein-rich food
and super-insulated building materials, you might start to wonder if
they were, well, smoking a different weed.
But it appears that one retired building contractor, Bill Loftus,
has actually come upon a brilliant application of the fast-growing,
carbon-sucking plant known as Kenaf. Kenaf is in the Hibiscus family and
is thus related to both cotton and okra. Originally from Africa,
this 4,000-year-old crop was used for its fiber. It has the astonishing
ability to grow up to 14 feet in one growing season, yielding 6-10 tons of fiber per acre and making it a great source of pulp for paper.
But researchers have also discovered (PDF) a corresponding ability of Kenaf to inhale huge quantities of our most abundant global warming
gas — CO2. We all now know we need to dramatically reduce our
emissions, but even if we were to cut them by 50 percent in the next 10
years (an almost unachievable goal), we still have decades worth of CO2
that has yet to impact the climate. In other words, we need a technology
that can actively pull CO2 out of the air and store it ... permanently,
now.
It turns out that Kenaf can absorb 3-8 times more CO2 than a tree.
One acre of Kenaf can pull about 10 tons of CO2 out of the air per
growing season, and in some parts of the world it can be cut back and
regrown for a second season. With proper management, a single acre
planted in Kenaf could absorb 20 tons of CO2.
But its not enough to simply absorb CO2. In order to create
verifiable carbon credits, the CO2 must be sequestered permanently. This
is where Bill Loftus comes in. Having worked for decades in the green building
industry, he realized the abundant fiber of the Kenaf plant would be
perfect as a filler to produce light-weight, super-insulating, fireproof
concrete blocks that permanently sequester the carbon.
He patented the block, which weighs under 9 lbs, and is currently
using it in two pilot projects in Haiti and South Africa, areas that
have been hard hit by natural disasters and famine. The plant leaves are
rich in protein (34 percent) and much-loved by chickens. So early in
the season, it makes perfect feed in areas where feed is often not even
available. The chickens in turn fertilize the soil and provide food for
the villagers.
