Duckweed Ethanol: Duckweed Biomass Grown from Organic Wastes to Replace Corn for US and International Ethanol Biofuel Production

Duckweed, the smallest flowering plant on Earth, is one of the most powerful, and widespread. Usually, considered a nuisance, duckweed, upon close examination, is an impressive crop in photosynthetic value.

Ethanol, an industry dominated by the Corn Industry (King Corn), faces many challenges, including large water draws, rising fertilizer costs, large diesel fuel bills, and unintended impacts on Food markets. Corn, as a choice for ethanol production, pits food, versus fuel, for agricultural resources, increasing stresses between fundamental markets.

An ideal source of biomass, for ethanol production, would not be a food crop, rather, a waste-crop.

King Corn, dominates current domestic ethanol production markets, worth billions, each year. Duckweeds, can use nutrients from organic waste-streams. Duckweeds, can double in mass, within 48 hours, under the right growing conditions, and is rich in Amino-acids, Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Lipids (oils).

Corn, began as a wild grass seed crop, domesticated by ancient man. Before the modern age, thousands of years of selective breeding, produced a Corn rich in proteins, and high in nutritional value.

Modern Corn, has been engineered to go “the other direction,” and reduce Corn’s Protein production, and increase Corn’s Starch (Carbohydrate) production. The “Starch” in corn, is used for Ethanol production, and other by-products, such as Corn Syrup, and Distillers Dried Grains and Solubles (DDGS).

Duckweed, is a choice for bulk biomass, which offers significant advantages over corn. Duckweed advantages include, lower energy costs, lower water resources, lower fertilizer costs, doesn’t require valuable farmland, doesn’t compete in Food markets, has higher Starch yield, per acre. Duckweed, in a controlled environment, can be grown, year round, and in diverse locations.

Corn, as a bulk source of Starch production, competes with Food markets, drinks thousands of gallons of water, per gallon Ethanol produced, requires large diesel fuel bills for growing, and harvesting, requires large amounts of fertilizers, and lowers the nutritional value of Corn, to produce more starch, reducing protein production, and nutritional value.

The market opportunities for Duckweed, displacing Corn are enormous. Emerging as the Second Generation biomass crop, Duckweeds, offer the best path, for tapping into the Ethanol production market, worth Billions of dollars, with a crop which doesn't compete with Food markets, uses converted organic wastes, for nutrients, and can be grown, in controlled environments, worldwide, and year round.

Duckweeds, can replace Corn, as the preferred biomass crop for Ethanol production, as market opportunities drive the Organic Fuels, Feed, and Fertilizer markets.