Sweet Sorghum

Bioethanol Technology

William D DarDirector General, ICRISAT

ICRISAT’s Vision and Mission

VisionImproved well-being of the poor of the semi-arid tropicsMissionTo reduce poverty, enhance food and nutritional security and protect the environment of the semi-arid tropics by helping empower the poor through science with a human face

Pearl millet Groundnut Chickpea PigeonpeaSorghum

Our mandate crops

ICRISAT’s BioPower Strategy

• BioPower empowers the dryland poor to benefit from emerging bio-energy opportunities

• Ensures both food and energy security

• Focuses on biomass, juice and grain

• Greater smallholder incomes

• Sustaining environments

Growing ethanol demand

•Blending petrol with ethanol recommended in many countries including India and the Philippines

•Sugarcane and corn are currently the feedstocks

• India: Ethanol deficit is 0.82 million t year-1

• Sorghum grown in dry areas by small farmers (43 million ha in more than 90 countries)

• Sorghum types:

– Grain

– Dual (grain & fodder)

– Sweet stalk ((fuel, food, feed and fodder)

• Sweet sorghum – a bioethanol feedstock

Sweet sorghum bioethanol

ICRISAT’s has been working on sweet sorghum for the last 12 years

ICRISAT’s has been working on sweet sorghum for the last 12 years

Bioethanol from sweet sorghum

• Production similar to grain sorghum

• Sugar-rich stalks (16-23% Brix)

• Ethanol from juice of stalks after fermentation

• Stillage - feed; grain - food

• A cheaper and eco-friendly option; Greenhouse gas emission cut by 12%

• Ratio of energy invested to energy given is 1:8 (USDA estimate)

• No sulphur and aldehydes

ICRISAT’s two-pronged approach

1. Develop improved sweet sorghum varieties and hybrids

2. Public-Private-People Partnerships

Indian farmers reap benefits

• More income from sweet sorghum cultivation

• Grain as food

• Stalks to distilleries for ethanol

• Stillage/leaves as fodder/fertilizer/power generation

• More profitable (about US$ 50 ha-1 season-1) than grain sorghum in India

Feedstock costs (India)*

89.2 111.581.6Feedstock cost

(US$ kl-1 ethanol)

287 995 258 Cost of cultivation

(US$ ha-1)

3.22 8.90 3.16 Ethanol yield(kl ha-1)

--

Grain

Stover

Juice

--

Bagasse

Juice

Grain

Stillage

Ethanol source

8000 m336000 m34000 m3 Water requirement

4.5 months 12 months 4 months Crop duration

MaizeSugarcane Sweet sorghum

* Based on bioethanol per hectare.

Trade-off between food and fuel

• Rainy-season sweet sorghum hybrids: Give

higher sugar yield (20% = 0.8 t ha-1) and higher grain yield (16% = 0.9 t ha-1) compared to non-sweet stalk-grain sorghum hybrids

• Rainy-season sweet sorghum varieties: Only 18% (0.8 t ha-1) loss in grain yield while the gain in sugar yield is 42% (1.7 t ha-1)

• ICRISAT’s focuses on hybrids to fulfill both food and fuel needs

Projected bioethanol needs

in the Philippines

The Philippines: Conducive

biofuel climate

• Biofuel Law (RA9367)

• Mandates blending 5% ethanol with gasoline in 2 years; 10% in 4 years

“Sweet sorghum is going to be a major player in the country’s drive towards energy independence because of its many uses”

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap

“Sweet sorghum is going to be a major player in the country’s drive towards energy independence because of its many uses”

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap

ICRISAT-Philippines ties

• Philippines keen to bridge the energy gap using green fuel

• Recent initiatives to identify varieties and hybrid parents with high sweet-stalk yield

• 8 varieties shared through MMSU 2005

• Seed samples supplied: MMSU - 181; UPLB - 44 and Univ. of Isabella - 42

• ICRISAT-DA-BAR-UPLB MoA signed

The Philippines SSEPT initiatives

• SSEPT feasibility study

completed

• Initiated project on

“Commercial production

and utilization of sweet

sorghum” in North

Luzon and field trials at

MMSU, Illocos Norte

18.04.253.4647-5346-52ICSR 93034

15.04.083.4048-5547-52ICSV 93046

18.04.113.4645-5043-48ICSV 700

19.03.923.2857-6555-60SPV 422

18.54.403.6248-5545-50NTJ 2

RatooncropMain crop

RatooncropMain crop

Brix (%)

Grain yield t ha-1)Stripped stalk yield (t ha-1)

Variety

How sweet sorghum varieties

fared at MMSU, Illocos Norte

MMSU, Batac, November 2006MMSU, Batac, November 2006

Comparing feedstock cost in

the Philippines

20.90 17.91 2,513 7,000 6,000 - Grain

13.3312.22 5,625 600 550 - Stalk

15.672213.981 81382Sweet Sorghum

24.61 20.92 5,282 10,000 8,500 Corn

32.40 8.38 5,549 5,800 1,500 Cassava

22.62 19.06 806 5,400 4,550 Molasses

15.28 13.89 6,120 1,100 1,000 Sugarcane

Min Max Max Min

Feedstock cost (PhP)/liter

liter/ha/year* Price (Php)/MT

Feedstock

Sources: GAIN Report on RP sugar industry, GAIN Report on Thai sugar industry, bas.gov.ph, Leyte State University Report on cassava, Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines Speech, MMSU field tests, FAO & ICRISAT, 2004-2005. 1. Average for stalk and grain; 2. Total for stalk and grain.

* Average ethanol output per hectare.

From the farmer’s point of view

(Gross revenue)

Sugarcane Corn Sweet Sorghum

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

‘000 P

hP

ha/y

ea

r

Low High

Farm income from sweet

sorghum production (PhP per ha)

66,375.0071,875.00Total farm income for 1 year

Based on 2 croppings in a year (after rainfed rice).

39,230.5041,980.50Net income

9,019.50 9,019.50

Gross income

Less cost of production

18,000.00 18,000.00 Yield of seed @ 3 tons/ha @ Php 6/kg

30,250.00 33,000.00

Ratoon crop

Yield of cane @ 55 tons/ha

27,144.5029,894.50Net income

21,105.50 21,105.50

Gross income

Less cost of production

18,000.00 18,000.00 Yield of seed: 3 tons/ha@ Php 6/kg

30,250,000 33,000.00

Wet season main crop

Yield of cane: 55 tons/ha

@ Php 550/ton@ Php 600/ton

Price of cane

Cost

Particulars

Rusni Distilleries

• Set up a 40 KLPD distillery near ICRISAT

• Fermentation process patented

• Produces fuel ethanol (99.4% alcohol), extra neutral alcohol (96%) and pharma alcohol (99.8%)

• Feedstocks: sweet sorghum stalks and grain, cassava and sugarcane

Ethanol production process

at Rusni Distilleries

Milling (crushing) of stalksMilling (crushing) of stalks

Juice collectionJuice collection

Filtering of juiceFiltering of juice NeutralizationNeutralization

ConcentrationConcentration

Fermentation of juiceFermentation of juice

ENA (for potable alcohol)ENA (for potable alcohol)

Impure spiritImpure spirit

Fuel ethanolFuel ethanol

Pharma grade alcoholPharma grade alcohol

Distillation of ethanolDistillation of ethanol

Procuring sweet sorghum stalksProcuring sweet sorghum stalks

Corporative model of sweet

sorghum production

Raw material supply for a bioethanol processing plant

Plant production capacity (Rusni Distilleries)

UnitsRequirements

3000-3400No. of small farmers1 to be involved

1. Small farmers: 2 ha holdings in India. Source: RusniDistilleries.

2300-2600Area required (rainy season) ha

3700-4200Area required (postrainy season) ha

800-875SS stalks required day-1 (t)

6000-6800Total sweet sorghum area required (ha)

84000-91875Stalks required for 105 days (t) per season

35-40Ethanol day-1 (kl)

The economics of setting up a distillery…

2500

5000

Beneficiary farmers

20000

40000

Labor

(man days)

Source: Rusni Distilleries (P) Ltd.

100000India

50000Philippines

Direct staff (man days)Country

Cost1 (US$ million)Distillery capacity

28100 KLPD

38200 KLPD

1Includes civil works and excludes facility for germ separation from maize, November 2006.

940 KLPD

…and the employment generated by a 40 KLPD unit

The road ahead

• Sweet sorghum: Ensures both food and energy security and a clean environment

• A win-win situation for the farmer and industry

• Public-Private-People Partnerships

• Together we can make a difference!

Thank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youThank youContact us: E-mail: w.dar@cgiar.org

Visit us at www.icrisat.org/Biopower/Index.htm

Let’s do it!Let’s do it!