Question

Most of the petrocrops belong to the family of
A. Leguminosae
B. Euphorbiaceae
C. Rutaceae
D. Malvaceae

Answer 1

Hint: Petrocrops are plants that have a large amount of latex with long-chain hydrocarbons. Their latex is considered a good substitute for petroleum or liquid fuels. Petroleum cultivation is a part of energy cropping. Genetic manipulations can be used to increase the hydrocarbon contents of petrocrops.

Complete answer: Petrol, coal and natural gas are some important fossil fuels that take thousands of years to rejuvenate. Growing urbanization has increased the utilization rate to an extent where the recovery of these fuels is not possible. Tremendous development in science and technology has led to an alternate source of energy. The petrocrops aim to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Plants considered as petrocrops yield good quantities of petrol like substances, such as biofuels or biodiesel. The cultivation of petrocrops is believed to be fifty years old and originated in Ethiopia. Euphorbiaceae are the common petrocrops. They are the fifth largest family of flowering plants. They are also called the spurge family of flowering plants. They are found in tropic regions and Indo-Malayan regions. They can convert a large number of their photosynthesis products into latex with long chains of hydrocarbons. Except for the latex, they also produce many flavonoids that are used for several other purposes. Some of these species are used as traditional medicines. Other petrocrop species are Apocynaceae, Compositae, Labiatae, Urticaceae, Sapotaceae, etc.
Therefore, option B is the correct answer.

Note: The fuel from petrocrops is biodegradable and is non-toxic. No carbon dioxide is formed in their processing. Also, petrocrop fuels are easy to use and are rapidly renewable. Petrol scarcity can be overcome by the use of petrocrops. Direct combustion or gasification is a technique that is used to generate energy from petrocrops.