RA 00048.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

S w e e t s o r g h u m
sugar v a r i e t i e s
907 k g
s o r g h u m
s t a l k s
363 k g
l e a v e s , p e n d u n c l e ,
a n d h e a d s
984 k g
w a t e r
286 k g
d r y m a t t e r
N i t r o g e n p r o d u c t s
A s h
Ether e x t r a c t , w a x , e t c .
S o l u b l e s
Fiber
4 . 5 %
7.2
2.1
6 1 . 0
2 5 . 2
1 0 0 . 0 %
(kg)
1 2 . 8 n i t r o g e n p r o d u c t s
1 6 . 5 a s h
5.9 e t h e r e x t r a c t s
1 5 8 . 6 u n a t t a c h e d s o l u b l e s
1 9 3 . 8
s o l u b l e s o l i d
(kg)
7 2 . 0 f i b e r
4.1 a s h
15.6 s o l u b l e s a t t a c h e d t o f i b e r
9 1 . 8
i n s o l u b l e s
1 4 2 . 7 k g
f e r m e n t a b l e
s o l i d s
5 1 . 2 k g
n o n f e r m e n t a b l e
s o l i d s
8 7 . 7 k g
c o m b u s t i b l e
o r g a n i c s
4.1 k g
a s h
U s a b l e f o r f u e l
A v e r a g e y i e l d s :
S t a l k s
L e a v e s , p e d u n c l e ,
a n d h e a d s
T o t a l
T o n n e s / h a
3 2 . 9
13.6
4 6 . 5
Figure 2. Estimated approximate composition of sweet sorghum sugar varieties in the United States
(Nathan 1978).
sorghum are equally suitable for alcohol production
as both sucrose and invert sugars are directly
fermentable.
Advantages of Sorghum Biomass
Sweet sorghum holds a great potential as a field
crop for ethanol production throughout the world
because it is adaptable to a wide range of growing
conditions, unlike sugarcane which can only be
grown in tropical and subtropical climates. Sweet
sorghum also has a potential for low unit costs
because it requires less water and fertilizer than
does sugarcane. More energy will be recovered in
the ethanol produced than is used to grow and
process the crop, that is, it has a net energy ratio
608