Project Name : Sea water use along coastal areas for raising mangrove
Theme Name : Natural Resource & their Conservation
Sea water use along coastal areas for raising mangrove and Salicornia plantation together with agriculture.
Investigations and Findings:
1. Experiment 1: To test the carbon fixation properties of a halophyte and compare it to that of a mesophyte – the leaf disk experiment. The results showed that halophytes have greater carbon fixing properties than a terrestrial plant.
2. Experiment 2: To test the degree of salinity tolerated by an halophyte and compare it with the salinity tolerating properties of a mesophyte. The results showed that an Halophyte tolerates greater degrees of salinity than mesophytes and survives in extremely arid and saline conditions making it an ideal crop for biodiesel production and also for food.
3. Experiment 3: To test the presence of oil in the seed extract of halophytes and extraction of biodiesel from the seed extracts through transesterification method. A sample of Salicornia derived biofuel was prepared chemically using the solvent extraction process.
4. Experiment 4: To test the anti microbial properties of halophyte (Salvadora) leaf extract. The results showed that it had excellent anti fungal properties.
5. We also wish to investigate some simple methods of converting the stalk into solid fuel source that is, production of bio-energy in the form of ethanol and electricity from the lignocelluosic component of the halophytes.
Utility and Further scope of the Project:
1. Unique Features of the Exhibit Seawater farming is a relatively unknown facility in India although, various ventures have been started off the coast of Abudhabi, Mexico. It is still in its infancy stage. India being a Peninsula has excellent potential to harness seawater for farming. Our project will thusillustrate the hitherto less known technique of seawater farming.
2. Application in Different Domains of LifeSeawater farming has immense benefits. Salicornia, also known as sea asparagus is hardy, grows well in extreme heat and requires only saltwater. They absorb the salt from the water and reduce the salinity of the soil. They fix the carbon in the air by photosynthesis thus helping in reducing pollution and maintaining ecological balance. Biodiesel production from Salicornia has immense benefits. They do not consume valuable freshwater or take up cultivable land, which are the common criticisms against other biofuels like corn oil or palm oil. Development of biofuel from Salicornia is also beneficial as it releases less carbon than it consumes through photosynthesis.
3. Future ScopeThe world’s biofuel market is expected to grow by 20% annually and the shift towards the use of environmental friendly biofuels has already started. Corn oil and other biofuels obtained from crops grown in arable land have face criticism that they use up the agricultural land. Thus salicornia farming using sea water and biodiesel production can help the world make a transition to low carbon fuel usage while still protecting the environment.
a) Cellulose hydrolysis: the crystalline structure of cellulose makes it difficult tohydrolyse it to simple sugars. Researchers are developing enzymes which breakdown cellulose easily.
b) Pentose fermentation: Yeast and bacteria ferment most 6 carbon sugars but 5 carbon sugars like Pentose cannot be fermented easily. Researchers are using genetic engineering to design microorganisms that can effectively ferment both 5 and 6 molecule sugars at the same time.
Conclusion: At this stage biofuel from halophyte seeds is already being produced. So once all these roadblocks in the process of bioenergy (biogas, biofuel, electricity) production from the cellulosic components of halophytes are removed, this will create a revolution in the production of biofuel and bioenergy, using only seawater as the raw material.
Name of the School: DAV Public School, Airoli, Navi Mumbai.
