[Syrupmakers] Ethanol from sorghum/sugar cane

[elliot weaver]

Well said, Mr. Ward

Dick Weaver
Booneville, Al.
--- sjward <sjward at swbell.net> wrote:

> Good morning all,
> First of all let me say that I am an
> environmentalist, but foremost a realist and I am as
> concerned as the next guy about the cost of fuel and
> global warming. The inquiry into the possibility of
> manufacturing ethanol from sorghum/sugar cane is in
> the second or third asking and as time goes on there
> will most likely be many more. The rational for the
> question is based on the assumption that
> sorghum/sugar cane = syrup,  that in turn = sugars,
> that in turn can = ethanol.  The equation seems
> simple but the interim steps require the direct
> input of energy, i.e. the growing, the harvesting,
> the processing to extract the juice, the reduction
> to syrup, fermentation, and distillation to produce
> ethanol. Even  If the step leading to syrup  was
> omitted and the juice was processed ( fermented or
> other wise converted ) to ethanol,  the process
> would require the input of approximately five times
> the energy, as would be derived from the produced
> ethanol.  Basically the process is not economically
> viable... currently.
> There are several universities and commercial
> operations researching the possibility of directly
> converting biomass into alcohols. With that said, if
> there would be a method of direct conversion, the
> problem would not be completely solved  Ethanol,
> methanol, butanol and the short chain alcohols are
> clean burning fuels but the down side is that they
> do not have the inherent chemical energy to be
> efficient in and of themselves as a fuel for our
> today's road and industrial needs. to make it simple
> a car that gets 25 miles per gallon on gasoline
> would get only about 18 miles on ethanol.... there
> goes your trunk space Charley. Never fear the
> chemists of the world are still looking for the
> philosophers stone that would yield direct
> conversion and long chain energy packed alcohol
> molecules.  In the mean time, lets keep making
> sorghum and cane syrup for the tradition, good
> eating , and maybe a little energy deficient
> distillation for our own consumption.
> Jack Ward
> Bay Farm 
> Palacios TX
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