Composition of sugar cane, energy cane, and sweet sorghum suitable for ethanol production at Louisiana sugar mills

• Published in: Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology Vol. 38; no. 7; pp. 803 - 807
• Main Authors: Kim, Misook, Day, Donal F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-07-2011; Springer; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Agricultural biotechnology; Bagasse; Biochemistry; Biodiesel fuels; bioenergy industry; bioethanol; Biofuels; Bioinformatics; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biorefineries; biorefining; Biotechnology; Carbohydrate Metabolism; Cellulose; Cellulose - analysis; Cellulose - chemistry; chemical composition; Consumption; Electricity; Energy; Ethanol; Ethanol - metabolism; ethanol production; feedstocks; Fermentation; Food-Processing Industry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic Engineering; Harvest; hemicellulose; Inorganic Chemistry; juices; Life Sciences; Lignin; Lignin - analysis; Louisiana; Microbiology; Original Paper; Polysaccharides - analysis; Raw materials; raw sugar; Refineries; Saccharum - chemistry; Saccharum - metabolism; Seasons; Sorghum; Sorghum - chemistry; Sorghum - metabolism; Studies; Sucrose; Sugar; Sugar industry; Sugarcane; sugarcane bagasse; sugars; sweet sorghum; Syrups & sweeteners; Louisiana; United States > US; Energy cane; Ethanol; Louisiana sugar mills; Sugar cane bagasse; Sweet sorghum; Monocotyledones; Sorghum; Gramineae; Bagasse; Angiospermae; Production; Spermatophyta; Sugar cane; Sugar
• ISSN: 1367-5435; 1476-5535
• DOI: 10.1007/s10295-010-0812-8

A challenge facing the biofuel industry is to develop an economically viable and sustainable biorefinery. The existing potential biorefineries in Louisiana, raw sugar mills, operate only 3 months of the year. For year-round operation, they must adopt other feedstocks, besides sugar cane, as supplemental feedstocks. Energy cane and sweet sorghum have different harvest times, but can be processed for bio-ethanol using the same equipment. Juice of energy cane contains 9.8% fermentable sugars and that of sweet sorghum, 11.8%. Chemical composition of sugar cane bagasse was determined to be 42% cellulose, 25% hemicellulose, and 20% lignin, and that of energy cane was 43% cellulose, 24% hemicellulose, and 22% lignin. Sweet sorghum was 45% cellulose, 27% hemicellulose, and 21% lignin. Theoretical ethanol yields would be 3,609 kg per ha from sugar cane, 12,938 kg per ha from energy cane, and 5,804 kg per ha from sweet sorghum.