Lee at forefront of bio-diesel research

Cape Coral Daily Breeze
By DREW WINCHESTER , dwinchester@breezenewspapers.com

The quiet of Ken Ryan’s farm is shocking at first; the only sounds you hear are the trees swaying, the birds singing, the occasional truck rumbling down the gravel road in front of his house.

The tranquility of this North Fort Myers location is a far cry from the gridlocked nightmare of Del Prado at rush hour, though the two might one day be more closely linked than an initial glance would indicate.

Imagine a fleet of LeeTran buses traveling the Cape on a daily basis, running on something other than diesel fuel. Imagine them being powered by a green, leafy plant, one that is growing abundantly in the small field behind Ryan’s home.

Ryan is working closely with the University of Florida/IFAS (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences) Lee County Extension program on a plant called Jatropha Curcus, an emerging possibility for a new biodiesel fuel source.

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