Producing low carbon fuel from seawater-fed crops

Despite a high demand for bio-fuel in South Africa, demand is not currently being met. An ERM consultant from South Africa identified the need to produce bio-fuels in a sustainable, low carbon fashion as an area ripe for investment.

At present, the primary source materials for bio-diesel are high oil content freshwater-fed crops, which have high output costs in terms of scarce fresh water and productive land resources. As an alternative to these unsustainable practices, he sought to establish the viability of producing bio-diesel through the large scale cultivation of saltwater tolerant plants on marginal land. The consultant was granted pro-bono time to produce a report highlighting the various carbon, environmental and economic benefits unique to the proposal.