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Kudzu
About- Kudzu
Pueraria montana var.
lobata (kudzu) is a climbing, semi-woody, deciduous, perennial vine with
large tuberous roots and dark brown stems (up to 20 m long). Herbaceous stems
are hairy. Leaves are alternate with 3 leaflets (hairy on both surfaces and up
to 15 cm long). Pea-like flowers are pink to purple, highly fragrant and borne
in long hanging panicles (10-25 cm long). Flowering is soon followed by the
production of brown and hairy pods, each containing
Kudzu is thought to originate from
Distribution:
Oceania: Australia, Federated states of
Micronesia, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,
Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu.
- It grows a foot a day, 60 feet a season and can be harvested twice a year
- It is a weed, not a food product that will be diminished from our food supply.
- All parts of the Kudzu plant is used after harvesting, no part goes wasted
- .Kudzu carries over 2/3 of the carbohydrates by weight
- All the leftovers from the harvested kudzu are used to make ethanol by breaking cellulose; it’s not tied to the commodities market, so the price won’t raise and lower in relation to the stock markets.
- The deep tap root of the kudzu vine can help hold the soil in place and allows the plant to prosper during dry spells.
Disadvantages:
- It is also seasonal during the late fall and winter months Kudzu will be dormant.
- Harvesting- Needless to say pulling it out of trees is not going to be very feasible. Harvesting even in flat fields might be problematic since it needs to be either cut into a retrievable mass or wound up in some manner.
- It does grow fast but it can be a terror if you decide to change crops.
- It can’t be stored like corn.
Uses:
- Kudzu can be used by grazing animals as it is high in quality as a forage and greatly enjoyed by livestock.
- The Harvard Medical School is studying kudzu as a possible way to treat alcoholic cravings, by turning an extracted compound from the herb into a medical drug
- Kudzu also contains a number of useful isoflavones, including daidzein (an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent), daidzin (a cancer preventive) and genistein (an antileukemic agent). Kudzu is a unique source of the isoflavone puerarin.
- Kudzu root compounds can affect neurotransmitters (including serotonin, GABA, and glutamate) and it has shown value in treating migraine and cluster headache.[7] It is recommended for allergies and diarrhea.[8]
- Research in mice models suggests that Kudzu is beneficial for control of some post-menopausal symptoms such as hypertension and diabetes type II
- In traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as gé gēn (Chinese: 葛根),
- Kudzu is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is used to treat tinnitus, vertigo, and Wei syndrome (superficial heat close to the surface).[citation needed]
- The roots contain starch, which has traditionally been used as a food ingredient in East Asia.
- In the Southern United States, kudzu is used to make soaps, lotions, jelly, and compost.[10] It has even been suggested that kudzu may become a valuable asset for the production of cellulosic ethanol.[11]
Kudzu -Commercial & Companies
Agro Gas Industries (location)
AgroGas Industries, LLC can produce quality Ethanol transportation
fuels for gasoline powered internal combustion engine cars and trucks from
various cellulosic materials. Their marketing name for this gasoline
alternative [KudzunolTM] was derived from one of their many feedstock sources,
a rapidly growing and undesirable "noxious" vine that is consuming
the
Having already entered Phase II of developing Agro-Gas Industry which will include securing $2.2 million for the demonstration plant phase of construction. They anticipate in the first year of putting out 12 million gallons.
Kudzu-Cost:
The researchers estimate that kudzu could produce
2.2 to 5.3 tons of carbohydrate per acre in much of the South, or about 270
gallons per acre of ethanol,
which is comparable to the yield for corn of 210 to 320 gallons per acre. About
one-third of kudzu plants would be harvestable. If so, they calculate that
kudzu could offer about 8 percent of the 2006
Five gallons of kudzu mash equals a half gallon of ethanol. We can improve the yield with some better equipment. While kudzunol might be a green fuel for internal combustion engines, The minimum cost of making ethanol from kudzu will cost about $80 per barrel.
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