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therealdannyking t1_j2aivl6 wrote

Reply to comment by PlaidChester in Old Christmas trees could be saved from landfill to make renewable fuels. Research has found that pine needles from discarded Christmas trees or other sources could be turned into renewable fuels and new products, with the potential to reduce the UK’s carbon footprint. by MistWeaver80

You may have misread the article.

The process doesn't need sugar cane, only pine needles. The article mentions that while cane by itself is more efficient, pine needles do an adequate job with more refined techniques. The researchers mention the pine needles can be mixed in with the cane. for an added boost. Since the UK already imports sugar cane, it wouldn't be a new addition to their carbon footprint. The pine needles can be mixed in when they are abundant (January).

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PlaidChester t1_j2apv70 wrote

Fair enough, I was referencing the abstract of the paper cited by the article where only the sugarcane bagasse and pine needles were referenced as the feed stock. I did not read the full paper where I guess they discussed other options.

Also I did not realize the uk imported decent amounts of unprocessed sugar cane, to process to get the bagasse. I am surprised really, seems much more expensive than just importing cane sugar.

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