Corn-Sorghum Mix Boosts Ethanol Yield

In Texas, USA, a collaborative study found a significant increase in ethanol production from a combination of sweet sorghum juice and corn mash.

Sorghum Checkoff announced the results of a benchmark study that was conducted in collaboration with the NCERC at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The study evaluated the effects of various amounts of sweet sorghum juice in corn mash on ethanol yield under conditions that are similar to those used in the fuel ethanol industry.

The sweet sorghum juice was used as a replacement for process water. The researchers found that adding sweet sorghum juice to corn mash significantly improves the ethanol yield without requiring additional nutrient or yeast inputs. Results showed that with 50 percent sweet sorghum juice, a 12 percent increase in ethanol yield versus control can be expected without any increase in viscosity, without requiring additional enzymes and without overwhelming the yeast with too much sugar in the system.

The theoretical yield could be as high as 23 percent above the control if all the water were substituted with sorghum juice. This theoretical limit was not tested in the study but it will be the subject of a separate investigation.