Project to produce bioethanol from dates okayed

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has approved a project submitted by an UAE-Algerian company to extract biofuel from dates and palm remnants. “The project will have a significant effect on the Iraqi economy…,” an agricultural affairs advisor to the prime minister told Iraqi News. It will also encourage farmers to increase palm plantation, the advisor explained. Bioethanol is a clean and environmentally-friendly form of fuel that can be used to power cars and create electricity. The world’s production of bioethanol is 350,000 tons a year. A total of 100 tons of bad dates can produce 35 tons of bioethanol. SS (P) 1