Feasibility for an integrated anhydrous alcohol production using sweet sorghum as feedstock

Sweet sorghum is considered as one of the most promising biofuel feed stocks not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well. The bioethanol yield per hectare is said to be comparable to that of sugarcane and better than that of cassava. Sweet sorghum promises substantial returns to farmers considering that its is of short duration, hardy, adapted to extreme weather conditions and requires minimal inputs like fertilizer and irrigation. Rañola et al. (UPLB) [University of the Philippines Los Banos, College, Laguna, Philippines] studied the feasibility for an integrated anhydrous alcohol production plant using sweet sorghum as feed stock. His team, utilized the data generated by the study of Layaoen (MMSU) on the performance of open-pollinated sweet sorghum varieties (OPVs) in Ilocos [Philippines]. The estimated production of OPV variety of sweet sorghum was from 43-65t of stalks and 3.28-4.40t of grains per hectare. The farmers can sell the stalks for P 550/t, the grain for P 8.00/kg with a net return of P 61, 000-72,000/ha per year with two cropping cycle. For a 40-kL/day capacity of sweet sorghum bioethanol plant, an estimated net present value (NPV) and the internal rate of return (IRR) would be at P 66.6 million and 21% respectively, with a payback period of 9 years. The feed stock cost of sweet sorghum can be as low as P 12.55-14.07/L of bioethanol produced. About 20 bioethanol plants were estimated to be put up to meet the ethanol-10 (E10) blend required under the Biofuel Law (RA 9367) that mandated a 22% decrease in dependence on fuel oil by 2010. Other products from sweet sorghum such as cane syrup, vinegar, 'basi' or wine, jaggery, feed for livestock and even electricity from co-generation also offered other value-added products to rural households. In Ilocos, the necessary infrastructure already existed which would allow farmers to develop these products. Sweet sorghum can be as cheap and reliable source source of raw material for bioethanol and can be promoted by the government as part of its biofuels program. The country would benefit from such program in terms of additional jobs, foreign exchange savings and cleaner environment. Ethanol-blended gasoline has been shown to improve mileage with lower toxic emissions and can be sold at a lower price compared to unleaded gasoline.