The long cassava root has been refined into popular treats, such as bubble tea (or Boba), but now promises to efficiently contribute to biofuel production. A municipality in the Philippines has begun to consider cassava as a viable source for bioethanol.

Sorsogon province is on the southern tip of the Bicol Peninsula and in the middle of the the islands. Tourism has provided impressive profits in the area, as could the cultivation of the cassava root.

A ssudy on cassava-based bioethanol production, conducted by the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences, estimated 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) could meet the needs of a distillery with a 30 million liter (7.9 million gallon) capacity per year.

Vice Governor Renato Laurinaria has emphasized the need for large-scale cassava production to not only satisfy feedstock needs, but also for bioethanol. His administration had already started to develop half of the required land space for a bioethanol plant, building plantations in Castilla.

Currently the municipality supplies cassava to the San Miguel Corporation for animal feedstock production. By increasing cassava production, Laurinaria expects new jobs and additional revenue for farmers.

The Philippines requires a 1-percent coconut biodiesel blend for diesel engines, with an increase to 2-percent this year along with a 5-percent bioethanol blend for gasoline engines. Currently, sugar cane is one of the most productive bioethanol sources and is abundant in the area.

Cassava can be grown in the same areas as sugarcane and has a high starch to sugar ratio-- and is durable to boot, requiring minimal maintenance and resistant to typhoons and droughts. According to the study, these high feedstock yields result in comparatively better ethanol results than sugar cane or sweet sorghum.

The root could be expensive, but that applies more to cassava that could be used as food rather than industrial purchases. Cars could be running on cassava in areas with abundant land, supported by a growing global awareness towards efficient sources of biomass.

However, on a global scale, millions of people still rely on the cassava root for food and cultivating the plants could potentially require the destruction of areas releasing more carbon. Though, with its similarities to sugar cane, it might be cultivated in shared areas, perhaps even to the benefit of both crops.