Dr Ndii nails: Western need to think about another venture..Sugar is dead

[RV Pundit]

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http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Western-Kenya-Sugarcane-Farming/-/440808/2850410/-/eraof5/-/index.html

[veritas]

How resilient is sugar cane? If it was insect treated and waterproof coated, hollowed out, could it function like a PVC type conduit?





It has the distinct advantage of insulation already... I think I found a cheap alternative to PVC piping... organic piping.

[veritas]

Omg, the thing is already waterproof !

Researchers Develop Recyclable, Sugarcane-Based Waterproof Coating
GreenerDesign Staff
Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 5:00pm

Biotechnologists working to add value to the Australia sugarcane industry have developed a process for turning sugarcane waste into a recyclable waterproof coating for paper and cardboard.

Typical methods for waterproofing paper-based materials, like boxes for transporting fruits and vegetables, use petroleum-based wax, creating boxes that can't be recycled.

Researchers at the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Sugar Industry Innovation through Biotechnology say they've found a way to make waterproofing from materials that are currently being burned.

Bagasse, the material leftover after juice has been crushed out of sugarcane, is made of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. Most sugarcane mills burn bagasse to provide heat and electricity.

Peter Twine, CEO of the CRC, said that to create cellulosic ethanol fuel from bagasse, the lignin must be removed, and current separation methods produce lignin that isn't suitable for waterproofing. Researchers at the CRC, though, have developed a method that extracts cellulose and uses new fermentation technology that produces lignin suitable for making waterproof materials.

"The true value of this technology will be realized when it is adopted in the marketplace," Twine said. "We would be willing to talk to others interested in markets for this type of technology and product properties."

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/14/researchers-develop-recyclable-sugarcane-based-waterproof-coating
http://www.crcsugar.com/

http://www.foodmag.com.au/news/world-s-first-waterproof-paper

[veritas]

QUT sounds awfully familiar... hmm.... where have I heard this uni before...

http://staff.qut.edu.au/staff/dohertyw/
http://staff.qut.edu.au/staff/edye/

[RV Pundit]

Veritas, that sound interesting.

[veritas]

I'm buying some sugarcane tomorrow to compare with conduits.

[veritas]

Spent all day looking for sugar cane sticks. How can Australia be the number 1 exporter of cane sugar in the world and be sold nowhere in this urban jungle ?

http://www.canegrowers.com.au/page/Industry_Centre/industry-focus/about-the-industry/

I went to my local fruit shop and the sales clerk was like... you mean sugar ? She took me to an aisle with sugar bags. I go to a nursery- in a hushed tone the old lady informed me it was a commercial commodity and I couldn't purchase it. I recall these sugar sticks were everywhere in Kenya. Here it's proving to be impossible. I'm going to have take a long drive to a sugar cane farm with my hacksaw in the middle of the night and pinch a couple.