Prospect of Sorghum as a Biofuel Feedstock

In this chapter we review the genetic variability and related agronomic perspectives of sweet sorghum. These characteristics are mainly presented and discussed taking in mind quantitative and qualitative traits of sweet sorghum as a multipurpose feedstock. The recent remarkable expansion of bioenergy crops, encouraged by favorable biofuel policies, has boosted intensive research programs worldwide on the use of sweet sorghum as feedstock for food, fodder, energy and in other industrial applications. In energy terms, sorghum is the only feedstock where ethanol can be produced either through grain, sweet juice, syrup or biomass, in other words having relevance to fi rst, second and third generation biofuels. As a row crop, management practices developed for other conventional crops under a wide range of agro-climatic conditions can be easily adapted to cultivate sweet sorghum, thanks to its versatility and low input requirements. However, harvesting, transportation from fi eld to processor and processing remain as past and present unsolved problems. Moreover the large diversity in traits, important for biofuel production, opens up excellent opportunities for sweet sorghum improvement through traditional breeding and modern molecular tools. In general biofuel candidate traits present across the sorghum genus are governed by multiple genes, and both additive and dominance components of gene action can be exploited while breeding for high stalk sugar and juice yielding genotypes. In order to take full advantage of all carbohydrate forms it would be advantageous to develop specialized cultivars that allow a single process to utilize all plant components for liquid fuel production. However, more focused research in this area may aid in enhancing the economic viability and environmental sustainability of sweet sorghum value chain

Science-based restoration monitoring of coastal habitats, Volume One: A framework for monitoring plans under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (Public Law 160-457)

Executive Summary: The Estuary Restoration Act of 2000 (ERA), Title I of the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000, was created to promote the restoration of habitats along the coast of the United States (including the US protectorates and the Great Lakes). The NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science was charged with the development of a guidance manual for monitoring plans under this Act. This guidance manual, titled Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats, is written in two volumes. It provides technical assistance, outlines necessary steps, and provides useful tools for the development and implementation of sound scientific monitoring of coastal restoration efforts. In addition, this manual offers a means to detect early warnings that the restoration is on track or not, to gauge how well a restoration site is functioning, to coordinate projects and efforts for consistent and successful restoration, and to evaluate the ecological health of specific coastal habitats both before and after project completion (Galatowitsch et al. 1998). The following habitats have been selected for discussion in this manual: water column, rock bottom, coral reefs, oyster reefs, soft bottom, kelp and other macroalgae, rocky shoreline, soft shoreline, submerged aquatic vegetation, marshes, mangrove swamps, deepwater swamps, and riverine forests. The classification of habitats used in this document is generally based on that of Cowardin et al. (1979) in their Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States, as called for in the ERA Estuary Habitat Restoration Strategy. This manual is not intended to be a restoration monitoring “cookbook” that provides templates of monitoring plans for specific habitats. The interdependence of a large number of site-specific factors causes habitat types to vary in physical and biological structure within and between regions and geographic locations (Kusler and Kentula 1990). Monitoring approaches used should be tailored to these differences. However, even with the diversity of habitats that may need to be restored and the extreme geographic range across which these habitats occur, there are consistent principles and approaches that form a common basis for effective monitoring. Volume One, titled A Framework for Monitoring Plans under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000, begins with definitions and background information. Topics such as restoration, restoration monitoring, estuaries, and the role of socioeconomics in restoration are discussed. In addition, the habitats selected for discussion in this manual are briefly described. (PDF contains 116 pages

Influence of Internal Baffles on Mixing Characteristics of Biomass in a Fluidized Sand Bed

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 9 (2007): Influence of Internal Baffles on Mixing Characteristics of Biomass in a Fluidized Sand Bed. Manuscript EE 06 016. Vol. IX. April, 2007

Use of MRI and P-31 NMR for detection of bone and other foreign objects within meat

Concern for the safety and quality of food products has been continuously increasing. The meat industry has been particularly concerned with the presence of foreign objects in meat products. Preliminary studies involving the use of MRI for detection of foreign objects demonstrated that objects could be easily distinguished from the meat. However, the objects were indistinguishable from air pockets within the meat, limiting detection to the size of the void spaces within the sample. For detection of bone specifically, phosphorus (\sp{31}P) NMR was investigated. In a 4.7 Tesla magnet system, bone and meat were determined to have linewidths of 2.14 kHz and 54 Hz, respectively, making their respective T2 times very different. Samples containing both meat and bone were modeled with a two-component exponential decay model in the time domain, utilizing their differences in T2 times. A linear relationship was developed between bone mass and bone signal amplitude fit with the two-component model for each of a number of different scan and delay configurations. The slope of the curve for each scan and delay configuration was calculated to determine which method showed the greatest change in signal per unit bone mass. Larger numbers of scans and longer delay times had the steepest slopes, with a 64 scan, 10 sec delay configuration being the best. The 95% confidence intervals around each mg of bone mass were calculated, and the smallest detectable bone fragment was determined to be the lowest bone mass size with a confidence interval that did not overlap the interval for the zero bone mass. In the 4.7 Tesla magnet, using 16 scans and a 10 s delay time, the smallest detectable bone chip has a mass of 4 mg

Fluidization Characteristics of Sand and Chopped Switchgrass-Sand Mixtures

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 7 (2005): Fluidization Characteristics of Sand and Chopped Switchgrass-Sand Mixtures by K. N. Patil, T. J. Bowser, D. D. Bellmer, R. L. Huhnk

Fermentation of synthesis gas to fuel ethanol

The fermentation of biomass-generated synthesis gas (syngas) was studied. Switchgrass and bermudagrass were gasified using three reactor operating conditions: air gasification, near pyrolysis, and steam. For switchgrass, the average CO concentration increased from 20 % with air to 47% with steam, while the H2 concentration increased from 6% to 18%. For bermudagrass, the CO concentration increased from 16% with air to 34% with steam, while the H2 concentration increased from 6% to 28%. The syngas generated from air gasification was bubbled into a 3-liter bioreactor containing Strain P7. P7 was isolated froman agricultural lagoon and is a new species of Clostridium closely related to Clostridium scatologenes. Important characteristics of P7 include excellent culture stability, tolerance to oxygen, tolerance to high concentrations of ethanol, and an ability to grow in defined medium. Syngas fermentation caused an increase in ethanol production compared to bottled gases of similar composition. However, exposure to the gas also resulted in cell dormancy and inhibition of hydrogen consumption. The cell dormancy was circumvented by additional cleaning of the gas using acetone scrubbing and a 0.025 µm filter. Gases known to cause hydrogenase inhibition, such as nitric oxide and acetylene, were evaluated with regards to hydrogenase activity

Prospect of sorghum as a biofuel feedstock

In this chapter we review the genetic variability and related agronomic perspectives of sweet sorghum. These characteristics are mainly presented and discussed taking in mind quantitative and qualitative traits of sweet sorghum as a multipurpose feedstock. The recent remarkable expansion of bioenergy crops, encouraged by favorable biofuel policies, has boosted intensive research programs worldwide on the use of sweet sorghum as feedstock for food, fodder, energy and in other industrial applications. In energy terms, sorghum is the only feedstock where ethanol can be produced either through grain, sweet juice, syrup or biomass, in other words having relevance to first, second and third generation biofuels. As a row crop, management practices developed for other conventional crops under a wide range of agro-climatic conditions can be easily adapted to cultivate sweet sorghum, thanks to its versatility and low input requirements. However, harvesting, transportation from field to processor and processing remain as past and present unsolved problems. Moreover the large diversity in traits, important for biofuel production, opens up excellent opportunities for sweet sorghum improvement through traditional breeding and modern molecular tools. In general biofuel candidate traits present across the sorghum genus are governed by multiple genes, and both additive and dominance components of gene action can be exploited while breeding for high stalk sugar and juice yielding genotypes. In order to take full advantage of all carbohydrate forms it would be advantageous to develop specialized cultivars that allow a single process to utilize all plant components for liquid fuel production. However, more focused research in this area may aid in enhancing the economic viability and environmental sustainability of sweet sorghum value chain

Evaluation of three cultivars of sweet sorghum as feedstocks for ethanol production in the Southeast United States

Sweet sorghum has become a promising alternative feedstock for biofuel production because it can be grown under reduced inputs, responds to stress more efficiently than traditional crops, and has large biomass production potential. A three-year field study was conducted to evaluate three cultivars of sweet sorghum as bioenergy crops in the Southeast United States (Fort Valley, Georgia): Dale, M81 E and Theis. Parameters evaluated were: plant density, stalk height, and diameter, number of nodes, biomass yield, juice yield, °Bx, sugar production, and theoretical ethanol yields. Yields were measured at 85, 99, and 113 days after planting. Plant fresh weight was the highest for Theis (1096 g) and the lowest for Dale (896 g). M81 E reported the highest stalk dry weight (27 Mg ha−1) and Theis reported the lowest (21 Mg ha−1). Theis ranked the highest °Bx (14.9), whereas M81 E was the lowest (13.2). Juice yield was the greatest for M81 E (10915 L ha−1) and the lowest for Dale (6724 L ha−1). Theoretical conservative sugar yield was the greatest for Theis (13 Mg ha−1) and the lowest for Dale (9 Mg ha−1). Theoretical ethanol yield was the greatest for Theis (7619 L ha−1) and the lowest for Dale (5077 L ha−1)