The untapped potential of sweet sorghum as a bioenergy feedstock

Abstract

As world energy demand increases, alternative sources of renewable energy are required. Sweet sorghum has great potential as an alternative bioenergy feedstock. It is a highly productive and versatile crop that can be cultivated in temperate climates. However, the freshly pressed juice is not stable, and must be processed immediately, making it difficult to operate a large plant in a short harvest season. The relatively low technology conversion process for sweet sorghum lends itself to rural, decentralized processing, and it is this scenario that should be further pursued in order to fully utilize its potential. This article will discuss critical issues and various processing options for production of ethanol from sweet sorghum.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Danielle Bellmer has recently become a member of the Board of Directors for EPEC Biofuels, a startup company interested in producing biofuels from sweet sorghum. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties, apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.