[ExI] Kudzu and H+

[Gary Miller]

Wouldn't the ground up leaves have to be mulched and reintroduced  to the
soil where the Kudzu originally grew to fertilize for the next harvest or
else the 
topsoil would eventual be depleted and the soil level would eventually drop
until it reached a level of rock or clay?

Or else if saltwater stops the carbon from beeing released why not drop it
off in nearby ocean ravine.  It seems a lot more energy efficient than
trying to dig a shaft and bury it.

Another idea is to haul it to the strip mining reclamation sites.  They are
required by law to place a layer of topsoil over the strip mined area
anyway.  Reclamation has been seriously put off in many states and only a
small fraction of the land that has been stripmined has been fully
reclaimed. The layer of Kudzu would raise the land back closer to the
original elevation.

Also there are saltmines under large parts of metropolin Cleveland which go
on for miles and miles under there.  On the northern portion which are
getting close to lake Erie they can mine the salt no further for fear a
channel would open to the lake and flood the mines.  They already have
extensive conveyor systems leading out of the mines.  Why not fill the
return trip with ground Kudzu or other biomass and begin packing it in
starting from the North where they can no longer mine.

Also since Kudzu can be grazed by cattle.  It could be used to help replace
corn as feed in the cattle industry as ethanol made from corn ramps up
production.
Of course you could not use the Kudzu to make alchohol if it is eaten by the
cattle but the corn still could be.  And if the price of corn starts to rise
rapidly to replace petroleum as a fuel Kudzu may be the best alternative for
a farmer because it grows rapidly and is resistent to pests and would
require little fertilizer. 

Humorous tips on how to grow Kudzu http://www.locksley.com/kudzu.htm

Food. The Japanese have consumed kudzu as food for thousands of years. It's
not always tasty, but it has saved many from famine. Every part of the kudzu
plant is useful for food. Powdered kudzu root is a starchy flour much like
cornstartch and can be used to make soups and puddings. Kudzu leaf is a
leafy green like spinach or kale, and is sturdy enough to use like grape
leaves. Kudzu blossoms can be used to make a deep maroon tea, though many
find it bitter. In Japan, a kudzu-flavored tofu is a delicacy. Kudzu recipes
are readily found online. 

Maybe what we need is to have a contest to find more uses for Kudzu.  

We need some innovative botanist  to do for Kudzu what George Washington
Carver did for the peanut.

Humorous tips on how to grow Kudzu http://www.locksley.com/kudzu.htm

If Kudzu went suddenly from being a weed to a cash crop the resulting
increase in its usage might lower the demand for other crops which do not
consume as much CO2, and require more fertilizer and pesticides.



-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Stefano Vaj
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 4:30 PM
To: ExI chat list
Subject: [ExI] Kudzu and H+

On 9/15/07, spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:
> Kudzu must be nearly the most prolific plant there is.  That stuff 
> grows like crazy.  Seems we should be able to grow the stuff 
> intentionally, then harvest the leaves to grind and ferment sto alcohol.
>
> We should even be able to use that techniqu to sequester carbon 
> dioxide in the form of dead kudzu leaves, should we decide that 
> sequestering CO2 really is a good idea.  We could drill vertical 
> shafts in the desert a kilometer deep and ten meters in diameter, then 
> dump in tons of ground up kudzu leaves, then pump in sea water to kill 
> the bacteria that would turn the stuff back into CO2.

Irrespective of the technical merits of this idea - on which I frankly have
a few doubts; but I am not an expert of the relevant fields -
*this* is what I mean for a transhumanist attitude. Lateral thinking,
proactive stances, problems into opportunities, no superstitious fears to
disturb supposed "natural balances".

Stefano Vaj
_______________________________________________
extropy-chat mailing list
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.487 / Virus Database: 269.13.19/1008 - Release Date: 9/14/2007
8:59 AM
 

No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.487 / Virus Database: 269.13.19/1008 - Release Date: 9/14/2007
8:59 AM