May 4-11

This week was an introduction to Biofuels given by three professors based at the University of Akureyri. The class provided an introduction into how we can find new sources of fuel from sustainable sources. Most interesting was the second and third generation biofuels, which do not directly conflict with corn and other food production. Inedible plants such as switchgrass, Jatropha, and miscanthus can easily be converted into ethanol or other biofuels. Other residues such as corn husks and wheat stover and bagasse are left over from crop harvest and can also be turned into a usable fuel. Even the decomposition of trash, termed municipal solid waste, releases methane which can be captured and refined into biodiesel or combusted. Iceland has its very own MSW facility at a landfill near Reykjavik, which we will be visiting on the study tour in June.

The third generation fuels seem to show the most potential. This is where algae takes in ambient sunlight and is able to release hydrogen and other synthetic gasolines. Once this chemistry is understood, people might be able to 'grow' their own fuels in their backyards. Second generation biofuels even have a high possibility in Iceland, where farming grasses and other non-edible crops is common. As seen in the picture below, the terrain is very welcoming for grasses to grow, but not much else.

Prep for our whitewater trip

With the week over, Paul (pictured above in his kayak) had set up a whitewater rafting trip for the group on the East Glacial River about an hour west of Akureyri. The recent warm snap had given a lot of extra flow to the meltwater coming off of the glaciers in the highlands.

Those with the stomach could jump off the rocks into the water. The rules were that if you climbed up, you had to jump.

One group seen entering one of the rapids.

Your's truly riding the boat through a rapid by himself (all the other paddlers and the guide fell out)

One rapid (called The Green Room) was a bit too dangerous to paddle through, so we walked around it instead. It gave us a chance to see the cool gorge that the river had cut into the landscape.