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Alternate Feedstocks
Published in James G. Speight, Refinery Feedstocks, 2020
Sweet sorghum is a name given to varieties of a species of sorghum. This crop has been cultivated on a small scale in the past for the production of table syrup, but other varieties can be grown for the production of sugar. The most common types of sorghum species are those used for the production of grain. Sweet sorghum can be considered as an energy crop, because it can be grown in all continents, in tropical, sub-tropical, temperate regions as well as in poor quality soils. Sweet sorghum is a warm-season crop that matures earlier under high temperatures and short days. Sweet Sorghum is an extraordinarily promising multifunctional crop known not only for its high economic value but also for its capacity to provide a very wide range of renewable energy products, industrial commodities, food, and animal feed products. Sweet sorghum biomass is rich in readily fermentable sugars and thus it can be considered as an excellent raw material for fermentative hydrogen production – hydrogen is an important commodity for the refining industry and new sources are continually sought (Parkash, 2003; Gary et al., 2007; Speight, 2014; Hsu and Robinson, 2017; Speight, 2017). Sweet sorghum crops produce sugar syrups which could form the basis of fermentation processes for methane or ethanol production and some of the forage types of the plant may be suitable for biomass production.
Biomass Resources
Published in Jay J. Cheng, Biomass to Renewable Energy Processes, 2017
Wenqiao Yuan, Ziyu Wang, Deepak R. Keshwani
Sweet sorghum is an annual plant that has a wide range of uses that include production of sugar, syrup, fuel, and roofing applications. Sweet sorghum is able to thrive under drier and warmer conditions than many other crops, yet still provide good biomass yield. The primary sweet sorghum production region is Asia, which accounts for 33% of total world production. North America is the second largest producer at 23% of total world production (Kim and Dale, 2004). The juice from sweet sorghum is composed of sucrose (56%), glucose (30%), and fructose (14%); and its solid components consist of cellulose (15%–25%), hemicellulose (35%–50%), and lignin (20%–30%) (Phowchinda et al., 1997). The ash component is reported to be around 3% (Claasen et al., 2004) (Figure 3.1).
Conversion of Sweet Sorghum Juice to Bioethanol
Published in Ayerim Y. Hernández Almanza, Nagamani Balagurusamy, Héctor Ruiz Leza, Cristóbal N. Aguilar, Bioethanol, 2023
Iosvany López-Sandin, Francisco Zavala-García, Guadalupe Gutiérrez-Soto, Héctor Ruiz Leza
Sweet sorghum is a subspecies of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] that is characterized by its high sugar content rather than grain production [33]. Its agronomic characteristics make it a viable source in the current energy situation and the food conflicts generated using agricultural crops in the production of fuels. In addition, it has considerable advantages [10, 34–36] such as: It does not compete for agricultural ground as it can to be cultivated on marginal lands that are not optimal for food production;It is tolerant to drought, high temperatures, floods, soil salinity, acidity toxicity, allowing its development under different agroclimatic conditions;Presents high productivity and efficiency in the use of solar radiation, as well as nitrogen (N)-based fertilizers compared to other crops;It requires less inputs, chemical reactions and energy in the bioethanol obtainment from stem juice with a minimum cost of cultivation;It has high concentrations of fermentable sugars in the juice of its stems, producing more ethanol per unit area than other crops;Provides high volumes of raw material to produce second-generation bioethanol.
Physicochemical analysis and intermediate pyrolysis of Bambara Groundnut Shell (BGS), Sweet Sorghum Stalk (SSS), and Shea Nutshell (SNS)
Published in Environmental Technology, 2022
Mustapha Danladi Ibrahim, Yousif Abdalla Abakr, Suyin Gan, Suchithra Thangalazhy-Gopakumar
Sweet sorghum is utilized to produce food fodder, ethanol, and electricity, which can be grown in marginal land. The maximum annual temperature is the most important variable in the predicted distribution of sweet sorghum, with 40.2% [5]. It occupies about 45 million hectares, with Africa and India accounting for about 80% of the global acreage that yields as low as <1200 kg/ha [6]. Sorghum is grown as a grain, low-lignin, and biomass crop in large quantities, but its stalks are used as forage, temporary garden boundary, or burnt locally in most African settings.
Seasonal variation in sowing and its effect on ethanol and biomass yield of sweet sorghum
Published in Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2021
Gaurav S. Pagire, Sharad R. Gadakh, Manaji S. Shinde, Udaykumar S. Dalvi, Vilas R. Awari, Suraj S. Gadakh
The population growth rate is alarming worldwide. According to Rao et al. (2009), the world population may reach 9.4 billion by the year 2050. The demand for fuel and energy is increasing substantially in both developed and developing countries. According to Dar et al. (2018), global petroleum consumption rose from 63 million barrels per day to 93.7 million barrels per day from 1980 to 2015. Consequently, the rising cost of fossil fuels has resulted in an increased search for alternative renewable and sustainable energy sources, such as bioenergy crops. Biofuels have been found to offer various advantages, including biodegradability and environmental friendliness (Malobane et al. 2020). Moreover, there is no specific crop required to produce biofuels such as bioethanol (Bandara et al. 2016). Fang, Wu, and Xie (2019) reported that bioethanol can be produced by any plant that contains a high quantity of sugar and starch. Naturally, there are several biofuel-generating crops; however, sweet sorghum is the top choice to meet the demand for bioethanol primarily because it is a second-generation biofuel produced from nonedible food crops e.g. crop stalks, fruit skins and husks (Malobane et al. 2018) and it does not create an imbalance in food security (Reddy et al. 2005). Sweet sorghum is considered an economically essential crop, as it is a nonstructural carbohydrate that contains more sugar and can be utilized to produce biofuels such as ethanol (Vietor and Miller 1990). Wei et al. (2020) revealed that sweet sorghum can make barren land appropriate for the production of fuel and feed and can be cultivated in poor quality soils anywhere in the world (Rao, Kumar, and Reddy 2013b). Cohn, Bromberg, and Heywood (2006) suggested that bioethanol can play a significant role in reducing CO2 emission by 30%. Furthermore, ethanol is a clean-burning fuel and helps to reduce the use of cancer-causing gasoline compounds, such as ethylbenzene xylene, benzene and toluene (Kuranchie et al. 2019: Mohapatra, Mishra, and Sarangi 2019). Therefore, sweet sorghum is the safest way to generate energy, as it is eco-friendly and can be used by existing automobile engines without any modification (Mutkule 2010).
Evaluation of sweet sorghum planting density and minimal nitrogen input, under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions, for bioethanol feedstock production
Published in Biofuels, 2020
Christopher E. Rouse, Nilda R. Burgos, Vijay Singh, Larry Earnest
Freeman et al. [8] were among the first to agronomically characterize sweet sorghum and the subsequent extractable juice for syrup production. The objective of production at the time, as is still the case, was to produce high concentrations of syrup from medium to large stalks with the lowest inputs possible. It is the extractable juice of sweet sorghum that can be converted into ethanol for biofuel via fermentation [9]. The need for improved sugar production in sweet sorghum has intensified germplasm selection and breeding efforts. The goals for sweet sorghum improvement include improving water and nitrogen use efficiency, increasing sugar concentration, and identifying photoperiod-sensitive lines [10]. While advances in the genetics of sweet sorghum have been made, better production recommendations are also necessary. Several agronomic factors have been characterized in the literature, including nitrogen application, planting date, irrigation, tillage, row spacing, seeding rate and optimum harvest date [11–15]. These studies resulted in similar conclusions: the ability of sweet sorghum to compensate for suboptimal growing conditions is tremendous. Rainfall or supplemental irrigation under a conservation tillage system increases crop productivity and quality [14]. Nitrogen application improves crop health, but does not consistently result in increased sugar concentration, as observed across several states. In Missouri, N rates from 112 to 224 kg ha−1 did not improve the Brix or sugar concentration over low N rate (56 kg ha−1) or no N supplementation, but resulted in higher biomass [13]. A similar study in Alabama showed no impact of N rates from 22 to 132 kg ha−1 on yield parameters or on incidence of disease [16]. In Florida and Georgia, N rates between 45 and 180 kg ha−1 had no effect on biomass production, but further N addition resulted in reduced Brix concentration [17], which means less (ethanol) return on added investment for fertilizer. Nitrogen rate and seeding rate had no effect on the biomass yield of sweet sorghum in Minnesota; in this location, planting date played a larger role wherein early plantings produced more biomass with minimal increase in Brix concentrations [12]. Thus, there is a need for location-specific recommendations for the viable use of sweet sorghum as an alternative biofuel crop.