Sorghum to be used as bio-fuel (KXXV TV)by Sara Talbert
LEONA- Near the town of Leona, just south of Centerville on I-45, two men their idea is something that could spread across the state, easing our dependency on foreign fuel.
Four years ago, George King and Weldon Alders were looking into wind energy but have since found another, better way to produce renewable energy, tying agriculture to the utility industry. They say that's something that hasn't been done before.
"Sorghum is an ideal crop for energy production," said King.
Soon, a wheat crop near Leonoa will be harvested and sorghum will be planted there, a crop King says could replace 35 percent of the state's natural gas production.
It's a complicated process but can be demonstrated by the carbon cycle. Instead of using corn, King and his partner Weldon Alders, a farmer, will use sorghum, cycling that sorghum through what's called a digestive process until methane is turned into energy, fuel or natural gas.
What makes this process even better is the bi-product of carbon is actually used to help fertilize the next crop of sorghum.
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more:
http://www.kxxv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9955981Study examines biomass harvesting, water quality (High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal)By Larry Dreiling
It's been said that one man's trash is another's treasure. The "trash," or residue, left in no-till fields is considered valuable for soil preservation. Grain sorghum, a crop becoming more popular on the High Plains because of its low moisture needs and heat tolerance, is rich in residue.
With the construction of the Abengoa Bioenergy refinery near Hugoton, Kan.--the nation's first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol refinery--expected to be fully completed by 2011, the dream of producers selling the refuse of their crops to make ethanol from cellulosic biomass to reduce both dependence on imported fossil fuels and emissions of greenhouse gases is within reach.
The Hugoton facility will process about 700 tons per day of crop residues--corn stover, wheat straw and, yes, sorghum stubble--as well as other feedstocks, like switchgrass, into ethanol.
It's seen as a big change in ethanol production, away from the use of grains for feedstocks and toward cellulosic biomass. It is seen to likely reduce the controversy over the use of grains causing an increase in food prices and accelerating food insecurity.
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more (including effects of residue removal on soil carbon content):
http://www.hpj.com/archives/2009/mar09/mar16/Studyexaminesbiomassharvest.cfmBP May Come to Mean "Biofuels Pro"By David Lee Smith
February 25, 2009 | Comments (4)
Over the past few years, there's been a raft of attention directed toward replacing a percentage of the gasoline we consume with supposedly cheaper biofuels. Unfortunately, corn-based ethanol, which has been our primary approach in this country, has proven to be expensive, has ramped up food costs, and may actually burn less efficiently than gasoline refined from crude oil.
Now, along comes BP (NYSE: BP) willing to put its money where its mouth is by teaming up with Massachusetts-based Verenium Corp. (Nasdaq: VRNM) in laying plans for large-scale production of cellulosic ethanol from non-edible feedstocks, like energy cane and sorghum. The new factory will be built in Florida and will dwarf the Verenium plant in Louisiana -- which is currently the world's largest -- by a factor of 25. It’s also likely to cost $250 million to $300 million by the time it is completed.
BP -- which is familiar with biofuels, given that it blended 1 billion gallons of ethanol in the U.S. last year and in September had a refinery come online in Brazil -- is committed to this joint venture. With this new announcement of $22.5 million, BP has now invested $112.5 million in the partnership -- in exchange for a half-interest in Verenium's technology. And beyond that, the companies have expressed a desire to build yet another commercial-scale facility along the Gulf Coast.
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more:
http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2009/02/25/bp-may-come-to-mean-biofuels-pro.aspxScientists Publish Complete Genetic Blueprint of Key Biofuels CropWALNUT CREEK, CA—Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and several partner institutions have published the sequence and analysis of the complete genome of sorghum, a major food and fodder plant with high potential as a bioenergy crop. The genome data will aid scientists in optimizing sorghum and other crops not only for food and fodder use, but also for biofuels production. The comparative analysis of the sorghum genome appears in the January 29 edition of the journal Nature.
Prized for its drought resistance and high productivity, sorghum is currently the second most prevalent biofuels crop in the United States, behind corn.
Grain sorghum produces the same amount of ethanol per bushel as corn while utilizing one-third less water. As the technology for producing “cellulosic” (whole plant fiber-based) biofuels matures, sorghum’s rapid growth--rising from eight to 15 feet tall in one season--is likely to make it desirable as a cellulosic biofuels “feedstock.”
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more:
http://www.jgi.doe.gov/News/news_09_01_28.htmlSorghum. It's not just for breakfast anymore. Although it's pretty danged good with either biscuits or pancakes. :9
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