Boeing Takes Off Growing Biofuels in the Desert

What happens when you mix desert soil with seawater and 747s? According to aviation giant Boeing, you might just get some quality jet fuel, while increasing local food supplies and reducing climate change.

This week, Boeing announced that it is partnering with Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Etihad Airways, and Honeywell's UOP to launch the Sustainable Biofuels Research Project (SBRP) — an initiative to turn Abu Dhabi's desert coastline into fertile growing fields for biofuel.

The project relies upon an integrated saltwater agricultural system (ISAS) and seems to address almost every major environmental issue out there: renewable energy, climate change, freshwater declines, food shortages, habitat loss ... oh, and overfishing. The only thing missing is it doesn't save pandas.

So what is ISAS?

The simple version looks like this: 1) seawater is diverted up man-made "rivers" to pens holding fish, shrimp and shellfish; 2) salt-loving plants grow along the "riverbank," fertilized by the fish waste; 3) vegetable oil and high-protein meal from the plants are extracted and turned into fuel and food for animals and people. Purportedly, the system generates biofuels, while capturing and holding atmospheric carbon in the form of plants, increasing biodiversity by creating wetland habitat, and upping the amount of available freshwater as the plants absorb the salt. 

The ISAS technology was by the non-profit Seawater Foundation. But in 2007, it was transferred over to the for-profit Global Seawater Inc. With big money from supporters like Boeing, ISAS projects very likely could continue to expand, especially if they start turning profits. 

I want this to be a good thing, but I've got some major concerns. For example, how does dredging inland rivers and building giant aquaculture pens impact native species -- not all deserts are barren -- or affect coastal erosion? What kind of power is used to run the pumps and processing facilities? (You might think solar would be the obvious answer, but in the Middle East fossil fuels are almost as abundant as sunlight.) Finally, re-using the fish waste addresses only one of the many concerns surrounding farm-raised fish; but what the fish are fed, are treated with antibiotics or other chemicals, and what, if any, measures are taken to prevent escapees from making a break back out to sea, affecting genetics of wild populations?

Even so, all new innovation needs time to iron out the kinks in the design. Perhaps that is what this latest project will do. What do you think? Is building biofuel out of sand and seawater too good to be true?

Photo Credit: Apply29 on Flickr