I'm going to get into trouble here but hey it's the truth we're after right? I read the paper on genetically modified vegetable oil and determined the following: 1) The oil in question was derived by an "enhanced" mutation method. To me this means that it was not genetically engineered as it did not involve the inclusion of "foreign" genes. This is more than just nit picking, I wrote a couple of papers on the management of genetic drift in tissue culture, normally you work your butt off to reduce the mutation rate but occassionally you do the opposite. An example was the "creation" of a salt tolerant Eucalypt from tissue culture that now is used to lower salty water tables in the management of dryland salinity. Simply allow or enhance the natural tendency of material to mutate in culture and add salt to the media to select for tolerance. Having said that even within the 'natural' forms of plant mutation the creation of a problem plant can occur. The point is that this method is strictly within the realm of "traditional" plant breeding--not genetic engineering. 2) The paper did suggest that its purpose was to give genetic engineers information as to the direction they should take. 3) To me the paper shows that breeding and selection can produce field crop vegetable oils with lower chain length FAs from the existing gene pools relying on natural variations alone. As biodieselers that would be enough. The same tissue culture techniques as produced the high yield Palm oil varieties could achieve similar results for tree crops. It's a matter of what research is funded. One thing that concerns me is the statement that transesterification to "biodiesel" was expensive. When compared with the costs of refining vegetable oils by degumming, neutralisation, bleaching etc., the cost of transesterifying raw oils is not; or should not be; excessive. Steve Hobbs has shown that the transesterification (with washing)of raw oil effectivelty removes the contaminants. --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], David Preskett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Paddy, > I'd be interested too in the papers. > Dave > > goat industries wrote: > > > there are plans to produce crops of genetically modified oil bearing plants. > > The oil extracted could be used directly as a diesel fuel because it is > > composed of a high percentage of small chain length molecules. If anyone > > wants more info i could dig out the relevant papers. > > > > > > Biofuels at Journey to Forever > > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuel at WebConX > > http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm > > List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: > > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > -- > David Preskett, BSc (Hons.), AIWSc > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Recycling - not a chore more a way of life > > University of Wales > BioComposites Centre > Deiniol Road > Bangor > Gwynedd > LL572UW > http://www.bc.bangor.ac.uk > Tel +44 (0)1248-370588 > Fax: +44 (0)1248-370594
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