Assessment of Production and Transportation Practices for Sweet Sorghum

The desired short term benchmarks/outcomes of this project are to: (1) Demonstrate the maximal amount of sugar that can be produced assessed through multiple crop production sequencing; (2) Select appropriate cultivars to utilize in this sequencing in the semi arid Southwest; (3) Minimize or avoid the addition of preservatives to the juice while assuring high ethanol productivity; (4) Complete mass (water and nutrients), and energy balances for growth and production of sweet sorghum in arid climates; (5) Update estimates of costs and returns of using sweet sorghum to produce ethanol; (6) Improve the efficiency of juice fermentation; and (7) Transfer technology to Pinal Energy by aiding in updating standard operating procedures for dual feedstock facilities. The long term outcomes are to: (1) Provide best cultivation practices to and discuss market potential of growing sweet sorghum with Tribal nations and regional farmers; (2) Evaluate scale up to full production size at a commercial ethanol plant; (3) Identify which phases of the production process have the greatest scope for cost reductions; and (4) Determine economic feasibility of additional production facilities that operate in a sustainable manner in the Southwestern United States (SW).

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Program information: Advanced Research, Biobased Research

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $200000
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  Department of Transportation
  1200 New Jersey Avneue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Johnson, Shawn

• Principal Investigators:

  Ogden, Kimberly

• Start Date: 20110701
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20130630

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Biomass fuels; Cultivation; Ethanol; Evaluation and assessment; Feasibility analysis; Fermentation; Grasses; Markets; Production; Sugar
• Geographic Terms: Southwestern States
• Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Environment; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01575657
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Department of Transportation
• Files: RIP, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 10 2015 8:30AM