The peel of citrus fruits has since long been used for many purposes which include cooking, flavoring, beauty products, etc… It is known to have amazing properties like anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, cholesterol-lowering and many more, but never has the idea of turning it into an alternative fuel source struck any of us until the researchers headed by Professor Mohammad Taherzadeh at the School of Engineering; University of Boras, Sweden put forth the thought.

In the miraculous effort, the team could produce not just one but four recycled products from citrus waste namely,
1) An anti-bacterial agent- Limon;
2) Pectin, a gelling agent that can be used in jams and jellies;
3) A biogas that can power motor vehicles when compressed; and
4) The long known fuel- Ethanol.

The duo Daniel Yar Hamidi, CEO of Inicia and Professor Mohammad Taherzadeh agree on the fact that if put to practice, this process would be successful in countries with warm climate suitable for abundant citrus cultivation.

A patent application for the process has been submitted to the Swedish Patent and Registration Office lately and the team hopes to not just utilize this process for Sweden, but also to export it and thus spread the slogan of recycling worldwide.

Via Gizmag