No, this has nothing to do with Georgia fans. And yes, I realize I rarely say anything nice about Clemson University.

But being a huge supporter of biofuels, a groundbreaking project to convert peach waste into a hydrogen-based biofuel being conducted by a Clemson researcher has caught my eye. As a member of the South Carolina Biomass Council — don’t be jealous, you too can join — I understand the dire importance of developing alternative fuel sources.

Caye Drapcho is investigating a hydrogen-producing bacterium called Thermotoga neapolitana that has a taste for peaches, especially rotten ones. “This microbe produces gas byproducts that can contain as much as 80 percent hydrogen, though typically it produces hydrogen in the 25 percent to 30 percent range, which is still impressive,” said Drapcho.
The microbe is said to flourish at temperatures slightly less than the boiling point of water and in mineral-rich, deep-ocean heat-vents near volcanoes. The South Carolina Peach Council is funding research by Drapcho and graduate assistant Abhiney Jain.

South Carolina harvests more than 200 million pounds of peaches annually. About 20 million pounds of the peach harvest are discarded yearly, according to the Peach Council. Peach waste has substantial organic value with a high percentage of sugars that can be converted to hydrogen gas by bacteria.

The great thing about biofuels is that they come from a whole host of relatively cheap sources; often the byproduct of the waste from every day items like trash, crops, debri, animal waste, and so on. Biofuels basically solving recycling problems and energy problems all in one.

But then again, I don’t know if I’m quite ready to stop making the friendly government heads of Saudi Arabia and Venezuela filthy rich for an expensive, destructive product that will disappear in the next 50 years.

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Photo: Biofuel