Researchers Turn Typhoon Driftwood Into Fuel, Fertilizer and Artificial Reefs

TaiwanPlus News

Driftwood has been piling up along Taiwan's east coast as a result of typhoons and earthquakes in the past year. Local researchers are turning the wood into biochar, which can be used to create biofuel, fertilizer and even artificial reefs.

Transcript

00:00In Hualien County on Taiwan's east coast,

00:03mountains of driftwood have been piling up along the shore.

00:07It's the result of a string of earthquakes and typhoons

00:10that have hit the region over the last year.

00:13The local government has encouraged the public

00:16to collect larger pieces of wood for use in furniture or art.

00:20But these smaller pieces,

00:22which normally could be turned into charcoal,

00:24present a special challenge.

00:31But Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute

00:35and Hualien's Donghua University

00:37have teamed up to tackle the timber turmoil.

00:40The driftwood is crushed and put into a gasifier

00:43where it can generate a flammable biofuel.

00:46The remaining charcoal material, known as biochar,

00:49can then be used as an ingredient in planting soil.

01:01Every piece of timber is restored to its original state.

01:05When it is combined with the remaining biochar,

01:09it has a great effect on the soil.

01:14Beyond the farm, the driftwood biochar can also be used on the shore.

01:18A combination of concrete and biochar

01:21can be 3D printed into artificial reefs.

01:31Because it contains carbon,

01:34carbon is also a necessary element for life.

01:39So maybe because of this,

01:41it's growing better now.

01:44Researchers have begun installing the biochar reefs

01:47off the shore of Hualien County.

01:49With the clever use of biochar on both land and sea,

01:53scientists in Taiwan are using innovation

01:56to turn the byproduct of natural disasters

01:59into fuel for natural solutions.

02:01Chris Ma and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.

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