How A Biofuel Maker is Test-Growing A New Energy Crop

Biofuel company Canergy is searching for their ideal energy crop. They are testing varieties of a cousin of sugarcane, called energy cane, to find hardy plants that efficiently produce cellulosic ethanol, for use in automobile fuels. Watch how the plants grow.

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[adHoc]

How much water and fertilizer was used to rise 1 acre of such sugar cane? And how much was used for corn?

[WorBlux]

Hemp depends on where you grow it (like corn). For cellulose a reasonable assumption is 50 gallons of ethanol per ton of cellulose, and hemp can generate up to 9 tons of hemp fiber, and likely significantly more that if you are willing to breed out quality in exchange for quantity. So 500 gallons-750 gallons per acre of hemp, but hemp would also require fewer inputs than this cane or corn. Switchgrass is also promising if you find a way to deal with the higher lignin content, .

[jimkainz]

Switch grass is being tested as an ethanol feeder crop by the US Bureau of Reclamation and the Salton Sea Authority at a Pilot Project begging Spring of 2104.  Switch grass is a weed that grows in salt water and requires very little cultivation or fertilizer.  It is a rapidly growing biomass crop which ideally suited to the production of ethanol.  It is also very cheap since it is a perennial plant, grows on marginal land and is native to most of the United States with the exception of California and the Pacific Northwest. 

[adHoc]

Furthermore, is it more efficient to have an acre of solar panels or CSPs rather than corn/sugar cane? What about growing hemp instead, as only one alternative?

[melodybomgardner]

Yes, WorBlux is correct. Biofuel businesses compete in a different market (liquid transportation fuels) than do solar firms which are in the electricity-generation business. Until a good proportion of transportation tech turns to electricity, they will remain on separate paths. Hemp would likely make an excellent biomass feedstock but is grown in different areas than energy cane (and hemp is not legal to grow in the U.S). Most perennial grasses would need much less fertilizer than used on corn.

[WorBlux]

The most efficient is actually biomass gassification which can yield over 2x the fuel, but requires more prepossessing for conventional engines to make use of it. The barrier no is mainly just capitalization costs. As to motor fuel the efficiency of solar is very low because battery technology sucks balls to put it mildly.

[islasnormalue]

Just use InpliX instructions. you will make it. its so easy