February 8, 2007
Mobiles switch on with biofuels
Fuel derived from cotton and a shrub said to relieve constipation could soon power mobile networks across India according to the BBC.
"The crops will be used to generate biodiesel to fuel mobile base stations in unconnected rural areas, without access to electricity. One third of Indian homes are not connected to the power grid and demand for mobile phones is growing rapidly.
... The pilot scheme, put forward by the GSMA and mobile firms Idea Cellular and Ericsson, will be using mobile base stations that use generators running on biodiesel.
The fuel is created by combining plant oils - such as cotton, a mahogany-like tree called neem and jatropha, which grow widely across India. - with alcohol, in the presence of a catalyst to speed up the process."
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