Biofuels can be produced from a variety of biomass feedstocks including almost any plant based material.  All plants contain sugars which can be transformed through a biochemical conversion process into transportation fuel. Plant material also can be converted to ethanol and other fuels using heat and chemicals through a thermochemical conversion process.

Most ethanol plants in the United States use corn in a fermentation process due to corn’s the high starch content and low cost as a feedstock.  Other feedstocks commonly used in ethanol plants include sugarcane, sugar beets, and wheat.  Advanced biofuel and cellulosic ethanol plants are capable of processing a wide variety of diverse feedstocks.  Feedstock choices depend largely on conversion costs, availability, growing conditions, and market prices.

Feedstocks Selection and Evaluation

When evaluating feedstocks for biofuel production it is important to consider the characteristics and challenges of each feedstock.  Some plants are easier and less expensive to process into biofuels than others.  This can be due to high fermentable sugar content or other advantageous traits.  Some plants require few resources to grow, while others require large amounts of fertilizers, water, and intensive farming techniques.  Some feedstocks are used for food as well as fuel, while others are considered waste products or are cultivated exclusively for ethanol production.

Other factors in feedstock selection include climate and soil conditions which determine the types and amounts of plants that can be grown in different geographic areas.  In addition, the complexity of feedstock logistics, or the steps necessary to move feedstocks from fields or collection areas to ethanol production plants can vary greatly by feedstock type.  These steps can include harvesting, transportation, storage, and preprocessing.

EnergyOne

EnergyOne has experience with a variety of biofuel feedstocks for both conventional and advanced biofuel production.  We can help you analyze and develop a feedstock strategy specific to your production requirements and site location.  In addition to more traditional biofuel feedstocks, EnergyOne is developing biofuel plants using sweet sorghum and barley.

Sweet Sorghum

Sweet sorghum is a special purpose sorghum variety with a sugar rich stalk, almost like sugarcane.  It benefits from having rapid growth, high sugar accumulation, and biomass production potential. It also offers many advantages such as wide adoptability, tolerance to stresses like drought, water logging, salinity, and alkalinity.  Sweet sorghum thrives in warm climates and offers several advantages over sugarcane. While sugarcane and corn are both water intensive crops, sweet sorghum requires one third of the water required to grow sugarcane and one-half of the water required to grow corn.  In contrast to sugarcane which can take up to 14 months to reach maturity,  Sweet sorghum takes only four months to reach maturity and its stalks can reach 15 feet high.  In areas with suitable conditions, the short growing cycle allows two harvests per year.

Barley

Barley can be grown consistently and economically in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic region.  It provides an attractive additional energy cash crop for farmers and a viable industrial feedstock for biofuels and food.  Barley is a proven winter crop grown in double-crop production systems with established food crops such as soybeans.  Barley's use as a biofuel feedstock not only maintains this established food production system, but it can also enhance the system through additional farm revenue and the benefits from soil, nutrient retention, and water conservation during the winter months.