Marketing

Background

Biomass sorghum varieties yield large quantities of lignocellulosic biomass material with three key structural carbohydrates: lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. As a bioenery resource, biomass sorghum has several possible applications. Material from biomass sorghum could be used as a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol plants, or it may have potential use in utility plants instead of coal. Using biomass sorghum as an anaerobic digester feedstock could lead to creating several different products, including biogas, digestate fertilizer, heat and carbon dioxide.

Currently, biomass sorghum isn’t commercially produced in the U.S. Instead, its production has been limited to test plots for research purposes. In Brazil, however, biomass sorghum adoption has already begun. Several factors have contributed to Brazil adopting biomass sorghum as a biopower resource. As a baseload power source, biomass sorghum, unlike wind or solar power sources, can be available throughout the day at any time. During drought, biomass sorghum may compensate for reduced access to hydropower, which Brazil relies on heavily for energy. To produce renewable power, biomass sorghum can complement other biomass feedstocks such as bagasse, and it may be converted into electricity or on-site industrial power.

Despite its potential, biomass sorghum needs a well-developed U.S. biorefinery industry to operate before it will represent a viable crop production opportunity for domestic growers. If Missouri begins to embrace the anaerobic digester concept, then access to digesters could also encourage biomass sorghum production. Approval of biomass sorghum as a cellulosic biofuel feedstock is another factor that would support its demand and corresponding production potential. During December 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency released a lifecycle greenhouse gas emission analysis that may lead to biomass sorghum’s inclusion in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as a cellulosic biofuel. In the analysis, EPA concluded that biomass sorghum emissions would mirror those of switchgrass biofuel production. Additionally, because biomass sorghum yields better than switchgrass, biomass sorghum would require less land.

Anaerobic Digester Feedstock

Capable of converting biomass into energy without using oxygen, anaerobic digesters produce several products that have potential energy uses and some non-energy applications. To supply a one-megawatt digester, the facility would require an estimated 66 tons of feedstock each day. In addition to using biomass sorghum as a digester input, other possibilities include corn stover, manure, wheat straw and perennial energy crops.

As the primary anaerobic digestion output, biogas is largely composed of methane and carbon dioxide, and in its raw form, it may be used for electricity or heating purposes. If upgraded into a higher quality biomethane, then possible applications expand to include vehicle fuel, high-tech process energy and renewable natural gas.

Whole digestate that contains both liquid and solid material is another anaerobic digester co-product. As a whole product, digestate may be applied to crop fields or have use as a soil conditioner or fertilizer. If separated into liquid and solid fractions, the nutrient-rich liquid may be used as a liquid fertilizer, and the solid fiber has possible applications that include being a soil conditioner, fertilizer, potting medium or livestock bedding material.

Heat is a third co-product. Combined heat and power plants create heat as a byproduct to the electricity that they generate. Digesters operated alongside combined heat and power systems need the heat to facilitate the anaerobic digestion process. Waste heat has other possible applications, including warming water or buildings, if those potential users are located near the production location.

Capturing carbon dioxide generated from biogas production results in another product with possible marketability. Technologies enabling such capture are relatively new and expensive, so generally, facilities have vented the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. If captured, however, the carbon dioxide could be diverted to uses including fire suppression, beverage carbonation, greenhouse operation and algae biomass production.

In the U.S., anaerobic digesters have tended to be constructed and operated at livestock operations, and they’ve used manure as the primary feedstock. At commercial livestock operations, anaerobic digesters have been popular in the upper Midwest, northeastern U.S. and the western U.S. In November 2014, just two anaerobic digesters operated at Missouri commercial livestock farms. Until the digester technology and its adoption in Missouri further develop, biomass sorghum production opportunities within the state will be limited.

Biofuel Feedstock

As a biofuel feedstock, biomass sorghum can be converted into cellulosic ethanol. Two processes are capable of facilitating the biomass-to-fuel conversion. First, in biochemical processing, biomass pretreatments and hydrolysis lead to hemicellulose and cellulose converting into sugar, which then undergoes fermentation to create ethanol. Lignin from the biomass material can generate energy that allows this conversion process to occur. Second, in thermochemical processing, heating biomass and adding chemicals to it generates syngas. When combined with a catalyst, syngas can be used to make ethanol and liquid co-products. Overall, cellulosic ethanol production involves more challenges than starch-based ethanol production.

Ethanol production per biomass sorghum acre could exceed 2,000 gallons, based on Texas A&M University research. Another estimate suggests that 80 gallons of ethanol could be produced per dry ton processed.

To produce fuel from biomass sorghum, facilities may use conversion processes developed for transforming cellulosic feedstocks like switchgrass and corn stover into fuel. In December 2014, a comment period opened about the Environmental Protection Agency’s analysis of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for biomass sorghum-derived renewable fuel. According to the Federal Register posting, biofuel created from biomass sorghum could be considered cellulosic biofuel in the RFS if the fuel reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent relative to the 2005 baseline fuels. Biomass sorghum should at least average a 75 percent adjusted cellulosic content – the adjustment accounts for ash levels – for all fuel being produced to qualify as cellulosic biofuel.

Developing and approving biomass sorghum and other crops as biofuel feedstocks will be necessary to produce enough renewable fuel to satisfy the RFS. As a federal government initiative, the RFS established a yearly mandate for cellulosic ethanol production, which is set at 16 billion gallons by 2022. In recent years, cellulosic ethanol output has not met the yearly targets despite efforts by the ethanol industry and federal government.

In Missouri, ICM has used a pilot cellulosic ethanol plant in St. Joseph to test corn fiber, switchgrass and energy sorghum as biofuel feedstocks. Recently, a few cellulosic ethanol plants have begun commercial operations in neighboring states. During fall 2014, Abengoa announced that it had opened a cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kan. The southwest Kansas facility’s daily biomass needs total 1,000 tons, and it can produce 25 million gallons of ethanol annually. Abengoa has listed several possible feedstocks for its facility: agricultural waste, non-feed energy crops and wood waste.

Two other commercial cellulosic ethanol facilities entering the market have focused on using crop residues instead of energy crops. During September 2014, POET-DSM celebrated the grand opening of its cellulosic plant, called Project Liberty, in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Using 770 tons of corn cobs, leaves, husks and stalks each day, the facility can annually produce 20 million gallons of ethanol. In the future, the facility may expand annual ethanol production to 25 million gallons. In 2015, DuPont also plans to open a cellulosic ethanol plant. The facility being constructed in Nevada, Iowa, would convert corn stover into 30 million gallons of ethanol each year. DuPont has partnered with Procter & Gamble to use cellulosic ethanol instead of corn-based ethanol in its Tide Cold Water laundry detergent. The partnership represents an innovative, commercial effort to use cellulosic ethanol. In Tide products, ethanol gives the detergent stability and improves its results.

For conventional ethanol facilities interested in expanding into cellulosic production, they may choose to update their facilities with “bolt-on technologies,” according to the Renewable Fuels Association. These bolt-on technologies would enable a single facility to generate ethanol from grain starch and cellulosic feedstocks. Working with an existing conversion facility framework may help to manage cellulosic ethanol production costs.

Other Uses

Biomass pellets may represent another market opportunity for biomass sorghum. Energy crops that may have market potential when formatted as biomass pellets include biomass sorghum, switchgrass and miscanthus. Several factors influence the quality of biomass pellets. High-quality pellets would have high bulk density, uniform shape and size, minimum fines, low moisture content and appropriate ash and chloride levels. Given currently used heating technologies, agricultural biomass pellets have had few opportunities because these technologies can’t use low-quality agricultural biomass pellets without experiencing possibly decreased effectiveness and longevity. However, new combustion technologies may be better suited for using the lower quality agricultural biomass pellets. Depending on adoption of these newer technologies, possible markets include utility companies, residential pellet stoves and greenhouses.

Livestock feed may not be a viable market for biomass sorghum because the crop was developed to have bioenergy feedstock characteristics. Thus, biomass sorghum may not have a nutritional composition similar to that of forage sorghum. Animal palatability also doesn’t drive biomass sorghum development, so it may not be optimized for livestock.

Source

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