Science Forums 2

[Michaelangelica]

Miscanthus x giganteus
The economics are attractive enough now to draw investors who can afford to wait a few years to recover their stake. They're expected to improve markedly as demand and productivity grow: The glint in the wildcatter's eye is the gusher of a 300-acre energy farm costing about $6 million for land, interest and planting and turning at least $8 million in revenue over the life of the crop.

Caveny's new career as a cellulose prospector shows that the foundation of the bio-economy has begun to form without the aid of technologies needed to boost the output of plant photosynthesis and of the chemistry to convert plant fiber to fuel.

Caveny had been growing a small crop of his bushy Southeast Asian superweed, called Miscanthus x giganteus, on a test basis and now has all the knowledge he needs to make the jump to business. He's working with a commercial partner, Speedling Inc., to propagate the plant in the heat of Florida for sale as a transplant to farmers across the United States.

Modern wildcatters see gushers of green / Researchers have high hopes that a tropical grass known as a 'superweed' will one day replace crude oil