Ethanol has been mentioned in one form or another for many, many years when discussions turned to alternative energy that can be produced domestically to meet the populations’ demand. This is why those in the alternative energy industry in one shape or form may want to pay attention to some research that is coming out of Oklahoma State University. (OSU)According to Associated Press writer Murray Evans, OSU said on Wednesday that “state agriculture producers could someday grow sweet sorghum or switchgrass as cash crops.” Scientists and Engineers from OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources spoke in Chickasha on “biofuels field day” on the potential benefits that can be derived by farmers in this area.
Due to the Entergy and Independence Security Act passed back 2007 by Congress, “11.1 billion gallons of renewable fuel to be blended into gasoline this year, with that number rising to 36 billion gallons by 2022.” Given the demand one can understand the rush to develop the “it” renewable fuel that will be blended with gasoline. The same renewable fuels standard “caps the amount of ethanol level that can be met from corn at 15 billion gallows in 2015.”
Sweet Sorghum has been grown for generations in southeastern states like Kentucky and Tennessee, where it is used for syrup. Still the plant can possibly, according to Danielle Bellmer, a food process engineer at OSU’sRobert M. Kerr Food and Agriculture Products Center says the plant can be grown in all parts of Oklahoma and the benefit of the plant is the ease with which it converted and distilled into ethanol.
To read the Associated Press article click here.
Posted: 10/22/09
