I read a couple of interesting articles today about a plant of which I have become very fond: the Agave plant. The first is Drink it or Drive it: The Promise of Agave for Ethanol, by Sarah Lozanova, and the second is Mexico & Agaves: Moving from Tequila to Ethanol

For you non-botanists, the Agave is a cactus-like plant that grows in semi-arid lands such as Mexico and the American southwest. Some species are known as “Century Plants” because of the exaggerated claim that it takes them a century to bloom (which is actually more like 25 years). Of course, any avid tequila drinker also knows that this is the plant from which the infamous killer of inhibitions is distilled.

As Sarah Lozanova of CleanTechnica.com writes, the Agave may be one of many potential saviors in the world of ethanol-based fuel production. In her article, she talks about the fact that Agaves contain very high sugar content, which make them an excellent source for producing ethanol. They also have very high cellulosic biomass, which may up their potential use by many factors, assuming we can perfect a method for making ethanol from cellulose.

However, ignoring the cellulosic content, Agave has many other characteristics that may make it a prime crop for ethanol production. For one, it requires very little water or irrigation. It also can grow in almost any type of soil because it is a “nitrogen-fixer,” meaning it essentially fertilizes its own soil from the air, leaving the soil in better condition than it was before.

Thus, considering the vast expanses of semi-arid land in the southwest and Mexico, it might be cultivated without having major impacts on traditional crop farmlands. In many ways, it is even better than using sugar cane, which as is well-known, promotes deforestation of rain forests.

There may or may not be other issues with using Agave, but it seems to me that it very well may at minimum become a small piece of our energy-independence puzzle. In my own opinion, though I am about as far from an expert on economics and trade politics there is, my guess is that this could have at least some impact on the whole immigration issue. I have no idea how many jobs would be created by a fuel-fueled increase in Agave cultivation, but I can’t imagine that it would be insignificant.

As a side note, the images you see above are of my own Agave plant. Almost forty years ago, my grandmother’s sister stole a plant from across the border in Mexico. My grandmother has been growing the original plant in Texas ever since. In 2000, she gave me an asexual offshoot from that plant (they send out many baby side-shoots that will grow into full plants). I now have half a dozen Agaves from the one she gave me. Without a doubt, it is the plant with the most sentimental value for me.