VOALearningEnglish2012.4.9---Making Power From Coconut Shells, Mango Pits

VOALearningEnglish2012.4.9---Making Power From Coconut Shells, Mango Pits Making Power From Coconut Shells, Mango Pits This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish Seth DeBolt is a plant scientist at the University of Kentucky in the United States. He and other scientists wanted to find a source of fuel that poor people in rural areas of developing countries could use to make electricity. The United Nations Development Program says a billion and a half people have no electricity. A billion others have an undependable supply. Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural Indonesia. He saw that, everywhere he went, there was very little waste in the use of agricultural products. Everything that farmers grew was used for something. Even the remains of fruit that people did not eat were fed to chickens. Little waste meant there was little that could be used for fuel. Growing a separate fuel crop would take land away from food crops. That was something Professor DeBolt did not want to do. He says the people at most risk of energy poverty are often the same people who have food insecurity issues as well. Any change in food availability would hurt that group the most. But he found two items that were in plentiful supply and would not create competition between food and fuel. Coconut shells and mango pits are generally thrown out. Yet Professor DeBolt says they have a lot of energy stored in them. He says they have an "excellent" heating value which he compares to coal of low to moderate grade. The same is true for the pit of an olive, peach or cherry, or the shell of an almond or walnut. All someone needs is a way to release that energy. Seth DeBolt says a company in India, Husk Power Systems, is using small generators in villages to make electricity from rice hulls. The process used is called gasification. Heating plant matter in a low-oxygen chamber releases gases. These can be burned in an engine that turns a power-generating turbine. Professor DeBolt says he and his team see possibilities for coconut and mango power. They published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It says these small-scale production systems could provide as much as thirteen percent of the energy needs of a country like Indonesia. Other tropical countries with large crops of coconuts, mangoes and similar fruit could benefit, as well. But Professor DeBolt says this is not a perfect solution. There are technical questions, like how to safely deal with the hazardous waste that gasification can produce. And there needs to be money to get these projects started. For VOA Special English, I'm Alex Villarreal. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 13Mar2012) 電源由椰子殼，芒果坑 這是美國之音特別英語農業報導，從http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish 賽斯DeBolt是在美國肯塔基大學的植物科學家。他和其他科學家希望找到一個燃料，在發展中國家的農村地區的貧困人口可以使用，使電力來源。聯合國發展計劃署說，億和一個半人沒有電。一億人有一個不可靠的供應。在考察農村印尼DeBolt教授去。他看到，所到之處，有極少有廢棄物，在使用農產品。用的東西，農民增長的一切。甚至水果的遺體，人們沒有吃的飼料餵雞。小廢物“的意思，也很少有可能被用作燃料。增長一個單獨的燃料作物，將採取土地，遠離糧食作物。這是教授DeBolt不想做的事情。他說，在能源貧困的最危險的人往往有糧食不安全問題以及同一批人。任何在糧食供應的變化會傷害該組的大多數。但他發現兩個項目，在供應充足，不會造成糧食和燃料之間的競爭。椰子殼和芒果坑一般甩了出去。然而，DeBolt教授說，他們有很多存儲在其中的能量。他說，他們有一個“優秀”的熱值，他比較低的煤到中度。同樣是真正的橄欖，桃子，櫻桃，杏仁或核桃殼坑。所有的人需要的是一個釋放能量的方式。 DeBolt賽斯說，公司在印度，穀殼電力系統，在村莊中使用的小型發電機，從稻殼發電。使用過程中被稱為氣化。在低氧艙發布的氣體加熱植物物質。這些都可以轉變一個發電渦輪發動機燃燒。 DeBolt教授說，他和他的團隊看到椰子和芒果權力的可能性。他們發表在“國家科學院的研究。它說，這些小規模的生產系統，可以提供多達一個國家像印尼的能源需求的13％。其他熱帶國家，大量的椰子，芒果和類似水果作物，以及受益。但DeBolt教授說，這不是一個完美的解決方案。有技術問題，像如何安全地處理，氣化可以產生的危險廢物。有需要錢，讓這些項目開工。美國之音特別英語，我亞歷克斯比利亞雷亞爾。 （改編自一個電台節目中播出13Mar2012）