Sweet super sorghum - yield data for the ICRISAT hybrid
Earlier we referred to how the India based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid tropics (ICRISAT) has been focusing on the development of a sweet sorghum hybrid for the production of ethanol (previous post).
The ICRISAT improves crops suited for cultivation by some of the world's poorest people, those who live in drought-prone regions of the globe, such as the Sahel, Norht-East Africa, or the Rajasthan desert. The institute's aim is to help raise these people's farm income, food security and environmental protection through the development of improved and diversified cultivars, eco-friendly and cost-effective pest management practices, efficient seed supply systems, and commercialization of diversified and alternative uses of crop produce.
Its plant breeding experiments with sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) resulted in a cultivar that is relatively drought tolerant, needs comparatively small amounts of water and yields high amounts of easily extractable sugar that can be used as a feedstock for ethanol production. Like sugar cane, the sugars are contained in the plant's canes. After it has been extracted, the biomass residues can be used as a solid biofuel in power (co)generation plants, or later as a feedstock for next generation biofuels. Alternatively, it makes for a good animal feed.
ICRISAT tested the new hybrid - called SSH 104 - first in Andhra Pradesh, with so much success that the plant was immediately patented. The institute then took it to the Philippines, where a vast region of land was identified as suitable. It is from these field trials, carried out in collaboration with the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac, Ilocos Norte, that we now have the first (comparative) data on the yields and economics of the plant. Dr. Heraldo L. Layaoen, crop scientist for the program shows they are impressive indeed:
bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: sugar cane :: sweet sorghum :: sugar :: ethanol :: biomass :: plant breeding :: ICRISAT ::
"The commercialization and massive planting of sorghum augurs well for our country," Dr. Dar, who is a Filipino himself, said.
Currently, sugarcane is the main crop tapped by the government for a gasoline-ethanol blend. But according to Dr. Layaoen, the trials showed that compared with sugarcane, sweet sorghum may actually be a better source of fuel.
The fact that sweet sorghum has slightly higher biomass yields than sugar cane, and that its stems have a higher sugar content, make the cost of producing a liter of ethanol from sweet sorghum lower than that from sugarcane molasses.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap said he now considers sweet sorghum to be a "plant of life", citing different reaons: for one, from its stalk can be squeezed the precious sugar-rich juice suited for ethanol production. For another, the silage after the extraction of juice is rich in micronutrients and minerals that can be used as forage for animals.
Aside from ethanol, sweet sorghum can also be made into other food products such as syrup, jaggery (a kind of molasses), "basi" wine, flour, cookies, cakes and pop sorghum kernels (like popcorn). "It has far higher protein and vitamin content than honey," Dr. Layaoen points out.
Implications for the global biofuel economy
We can only begin to imagine the potential of sweet sorghum as a crop that drives the carbohydrate economy of the future. Its high yields and its low water requirements make it suitable for production in vast zones of the globe where sugarcane would not thrive. Poor farming communities in the semi-arid areas of the tropics and the subtropics stand to benefit massively from the sorghum opportunity.
Like sugarcane, the plant can be harvested mechanically, even though production costs remain low even when grown and harvested by smallholders. The fact that the bagasse, the residues which remain after the sugar has been extracted, makes for a good forage for animals, means the crop can be integrated in farms that produce both food, fiber, fuel and feed. This flexibility in itself is important for small farmers, as it allows them to hedge risks and switch between markets relatively easily.
Most importantly, unlike oil palm, the crop explicitly does not grow in rainforest zones, making its chance to be part of a genuinely sustainable biofuel economy all the more likely.
Sorghum is one of the five top cereal crops in the world, along with wheat, oats, corn, and barley. Currently, it is grown in over 66 countries. About 90 percent of the area planted to sorghum is located in developing countries, mainly in Africa and Asia, where low-income farmers grow the grain variety generally for food. In the Philippines, the use of sorghum as a whole is very limited since rice and corn have been recognized as important human energy sources. But this will now change.
Picture: Sweet sorghum hybrid SSH 104, field trial in Andhra Pradesh. Credit: ICRISAT.
More information:
ICRISAT: Biofuel Crops: Power to the Poor - Sept. 2006.
Davao Sun Star: Sorghum another source of biofuel - Feb. 21, 2007.
Article continues
The ICRISAT improves crops suited for cultivation by some of the world's poorest people, those who live in drought-prone regions of the globe, such as the Sahel, Norht-East Africa, or the Rajasthan desert. The institute's aim is to help raise these people's farm income, food security and environmental protection through the development of improved and diversified cultivars, eco-friendly and cost-effective pest management practices, efficient seed supply systems, and commercialization of diversified and alternative uses of crop produce.
Its plant breeding experiments with sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) resulted in a cultivar that is relatively drought tolerant, needs comparatively small amounts of water and yields high amounts of easily extractable sugar that can be used as a feedstock for ethanol production. Like sugar cane, the sugars are contained in the plant's canes. After it has been extracted, the biomass residues can be used as a solid biofuel in power (co)generation plants, or later as a feedstock for next generation biofuels. Alternatively, it makes for a good animal feed.
ICRISAT tested the new hybrid - called SSH 104 - first in Andhra Pradesh, with so much success that the plant was immediately patented. The institute then took it to the Philippines, where a vast region of land was identified as suitable. It is from these field trials, carried out in collaboration with the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac, Ilocos Norte, that we now have the first (comparative) data on the yields and economics of the plant. Dr. Heraldo L. Layaoen, crop scientist for the program shows they are impressive indeed:
- Average yield: In the MMSU study, the average yield was 110 tons per hectare of sweet sorghum cane stalk for two cropping seasons in eight months (one main crop followed by one ratoon crop.) Ratoon is the outgrowth after the main stalk has been cut.
- Sugar content: the MMSU studies have shown that sugarcane has up to 14 percent sugar content while sweet sorghum has 23 percent.
- Cropping season: one hectare planted with sweet sorghum will yield 95-125 tons after a planting season of 100-115 days, compared to sugar cane's 65-90 tons per hectare with a longer crop season of 300-330 days.
- Water requirements: sweet sorghum adapts well to drought and will not compete much for fresh water, needing only about 175 cubic meters per crop, which is just one-fourth of sugarcane's 700 cubic meters water need per crop.
- Commercial viability: the study estimates the net income for two cropping seasons with sweet sorghum to range from 65,000-72,000 pesos per hectare (€1000-1150 / US$1300-1500), comparing favorably to sugarcane and most other commonly grown crops
- Ethanol potential: at an extraction and processing rate similar to that of sugar cane and an average yield of 110 tons/hectare, using first generation bioconversion technologies, an ethanol yield of around 10,000 liters/hectare (1070 gallons/acre) can be expected
bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: sugar cane :: sweet sorghum :: sugar :: ethanol :: biomass :: plant breeding :: ICRISAT ::
"The commercialization and massive planting of sorghum augurs well for our country," Dr. Dar, who is a Filipino himself, said.
Currently, sugarcane is the main crop tapped by the government for a gasoline-ethanol blend. But according to Dr. Layaoen, the trials showed that compared with sugarcane, sweet sorghum may actually be a better source of fuel.
The fact that sweet sorghum has slightly higher biomass yields than sugar cane, and that its stems have a higher sugar content, make the cost of producing a liter of ethanol from sweet sorghum lower than that from sugarcane molasses.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap said he now considers sweet sorghum to be a "plant of life", citing different reaons: for one, from its stalk can be squeezed the precious sugar-rich juice suited for ethanol production. For another, the silage after the extraction of juice is rich in micronutrients and minerals that can be used as forage for animals.
Aside from ethanol, sweet sorghum can also be made into other food products such as syrup, jaggery (a kind of molasses), "basi" wine, flour, cookies, cakes and pop sorghum kernels (like popcorn). "It has far higher protein and vitamin content than honey," Dr. Layaoen points out.
Implications for the global biofuel economy
We can only begin to imagine the potential of sweet sorghum as a crop that drives the carbohydrate economy of the future. Its high yields and its low water requirements make it suitable for production in vast zones of the globe where sugarcane would not thrive. Poor farming communities in the semi-arid areas of the tropics and the subtropics stand to benefit massively from the sorghum opportunity.
Like sugarcane, the plant can be harvested mechanically, even though production costs remain low even when grown and harvested by smallholders. The fact that the bagasse, the residues which remain after the sugar has been extracted, makes for a good forage for animals, means the crop can be integrated in farms that produce both food, fiber, fuel and feed. This flexibility in itself is important for small farmers, as it allows them to hedge risks and switch between markets relatively easily.
Most importantly, unlike oil palm, the crop explicitly does not grow in rainforest zones, making its chance to be part of a genuinely sustainable biofuel economy all the more likely.
Sorghum is one of the five top cereal crops in the world, along with wheat, oats, corn, and barley. Currently, it is grown in over 66 countries. About 90 percent of the area planted to sorghum is located in developing countries, mainly in Africa and Asia, where low-income farmers grow the grain variety generally for food. In the Philippines, the use of sorghum as a whole is very limited since rice and corn have been recognized as important human energy sources. But this will now change.
Picture: Sweet sorghum hybrid SSH 104, field trial in Andhra Pradesh. Credit: ICRISAT.
More information:
ICRISAT: Biofuel Crops: Power to the Poor - Sept. 2006.
Davao Sun Star: Sorghum another source of biofuel - Feb. 21, 2007.
Article continues
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Fuel Cell Energy signs 10-year manufacturing & distribution agreement for its biofuel capable fuel cells in South Korea
FuelCell Energy, Inc., a leading manufacturer of highly efficient, ultra-clean, biofuel capable fuel cell power plants for commercial and industrial customers, today announced an expanded agreement with its Korean strategic distribution partner, POSCO (Korea's largest steel manufacturer) and its subsidiary POSCO Power, the country's largest independent power producer, to increase sales in burgeoning Asia-Pacific green energy market.
Under the agreement, POSCO Power will become a provider of FuelCell Energy's Direct FuelCell (DFC) power plants in Korea, and will manufacture the balance of equipment for the plants.
The Direct FuelCell gets its name from the fact that it can use both fossil and biofuels directly without the need to first create hydrogen in an external fuel processor.
Fuel Cell Energy makes components for its better known German partner firm MTU CFC Solutions, which is successfully demonstrating the use of climate neutral biogas in the fuel cells (earlier post, and here on a server farm using the cells for power and cooling). In a combined heat-and-power configuration and with the use of biofuels, this type of fuel cell is arguably the most efficient and cleanest energy system currently in existence.
Under the 10-year license and distribution agreement between Fuel Cell Energy and POSCO Power, the latter will create a fuel cell sales and service organization, and employ its expertise in power plant design and raw materials procurement to reduce power plant costs. Fuel cell stack modules will be manufactured by FuelCell Energy in Connecticut and shipped to Asian customers for installation with POSCO Power balance of plants. POSCO Power also will build a facility to manufacture the balance of plant (non-fuel cell stack portion of FuelCell Energy's DFC power plants) in Korea:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: climate change :: greenhouse gases :: power :: biogas :: fuel cell :: energy efficiency :: South Korea ::
In addition to Korea, POSCO has the right to sell DFC power plants worldwide except in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Japan. Capitalizing on POSCO's strong manufacturing capabilities and economies of scale, FuelCell Energy also has the option to purchase POSCO Power's balance of plants for sale to FuelCell Energy's customers in other parts of the world.
"Over the last three years we have forged a strong relationship with FuelCell Energy and are pleased to announce the expansion of our alliance into manufacturing and distribution for the Korean market, and key markets around the world," said Mr. Seung-Woo Lee, President and CEO of POSCO Power Corporation. "We recognize that ultra-clean fuel cell technology will be an important contribution to future environmentally friendly energy production, and we intend to move aggressively to be a leader in this industry."
The Korean Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) has been a strong proponent of Korean energy independence. Last year, MOCIE announced a new renewable energy subsidy program, under which fuel cells powered by biogas and natural gas received subsidies in excess of the amounts allocated to wind power, biomass, and hydro, and second only to solar power. For fuel cells running on natural gas, the current subsidy is $0.28/kilowatt hour (kWh) and $0.023/kWh for those running on biogas, decreasing 3 percent annually for new installations up to a cap of 50 MW. A binding Renewable Portfolio Standards program is expected to be signed into law by 2009. With these policies in place, Korea is slated to become one of the world's leading adopters of clean energy technology.
"Over the past few years, South Korea has emerged as a global leader in the deployment of ultra-clean energy technology," said R. Daniel Brdar, Chairman and CEO of FuelCell Energy. "It is critical for FuelCell Energy to establish a leadership position in this market as a platform for growth in Asia and beyond, and we are confident that POSCO Power is the right partner."
Because the MOCIE subsidy requires that power from renewable sources first be exported to the utility grid, rather than consumed on-site, the law is expected to favor the installation of multi-megawatt power stations rather than smaller, privately-owned plants. POSCO Power, Korea's leading independent power producer (IPP), intends to focus its core marketing efforts in this sector. FuelCell Energy anticipates sales volume in South Korea of approximately 5 to 15 MW over the next several years, while POSCO Power establishes its local manufacturing facilities and continued sales growth for DFC stack modules following POSCO Power's launch of domestically produced balance of plants.
Fuel Cell Energy's ultra-clean fuel cell power plants generate electricity with twice the efficiency of other distributed generation plants of similar size and with virtually no air pollution. The DFC's range in size from 300 kilowatts (kW) to 2.4 megawatts (MW).
Article continues
posted by Biopact team at 1:48 PM 0 comments links to this post