Governor Awards $200K to Hawaii Isle Biofuels Initiative
(Star-Advertiser) The state has invested $200,000 toward a initiative that seeks to develop an economically sustainable zero-waste conversion project in Hilo that will turn unmarketable papaya into biofuel and high-protein animal feed.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie presented a check from the state Department of Agriculture to the USDA Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center at an open house event Saturday.
PBARC has joined with Florida-based BioTork Hawaii LLC to develop the conversion project. The conversion process takes 14 days and involves the use of “organically optimized” algae and fungi developed and patented by BioTork. Other potential feedstock includes unmarketable sweet potato, sugar cane, mango, albizia and glycerol. READ MORE and MORE (Governor’s office)