Tree-Tech & Carbon-Tech - A Combination of Great Ideas!

Today I want to write about two of the most useful pieces of technology research recently revealed to the public.

First is the material known as GRAPHENE, a material that is only ONE atom thick, highly flexible and able to transmit 97% of light, and at the same time it's a super-conducter.

The technical explanation of the material and how it's formed is complex, but we will probably see it first emerge commercially, when used in screens for smartphones and televisions.

The flexibility of Graphene has to be seen to be believed!

However, much more in depth research being conducted in China and Korea suggests it can also be eventually used to store electricity far more efficiently than batteries, which could mean a whole new future for electric cars!

Second, it's very pleasing that Australia is at the cutting edge of developing biofuels from Mallee Gum trees.

The technology has already been proven, and all that remains is to scale up the test programs to be commercially profitable - and that is only a few years away.

Virgin Airlines and Airbus have already signed joint venture agreements to develop and use biofuel from Mallee Gums!

The biggest concern Australians should have, is to hope that our current federal government and opposition are SMART enough to see the opportunities in this technology to produce a lot of new jobs, and also cut jet airplane emissions by up to 15%.

Mallee Gum forests grow wild in many parts of Australia, but sustainable quantities are mostly being grown in Western Australia (to assist the pilot production facility). Mallee Gums are easy to grow, harvest and cultivate sustainably, and in some parts of the world are considered a 'weed' and a lot of money is being spent trying to eradicate them - in South Africa for example. Many of these countries could quickly turn from spending money on eradication, to harvesting, for creation of biofuels.

This may not sound sexy, but these two technologies hold a huge amount of potential in terms of reducing greenhouse emissions, creating cost-effective savings in consumer goods prices, increasing efficiency, and creating jobs. Let's hope politicians around the world can embrace them!