An energy raw material

Soon, a big part of the country’s energy needs will be grown on the farms instead of being extracted from the bowels of the earth.

The biofuel source: Sweet sorghum.

In recent times, biofuels has become the country’s "apple of the eye" because of its potential as an alternative raw material for the production of ethanol.

Ethanol is a clean-burning, high-octane alcohol produced from agricultural crops, among them corn and sugarcane.

A percentage of ethanol is combined with unleaded gasoline for fuel. This makes for lower fuel cost, increased fuel octane rating, and decreased harmful emissions.

The commonly used combinations of ethanol-gasoline are called E10 (10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline) and E85 (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline).

"Several countries are now making policy changes to blend petrol and diesel with ethanol," reported the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR).

The traditional source of raw material for ethanol production is molasses, the by-product of sugarcane after the extraction of sugar, although it cannot keep up with the raw material demand of ethanol production.

Now comes the viable alternative: sweet sorghum.

That sweet sorghum can also be dubbed as "plant of life" can be buttressed by the following, as stressed by Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap:

• From its stalk can be squeezed the precious sugar-rich juice suited for ethanol production. Further, the stillage after the extraction of juice is rich in micronutrients and minerals that can be used as forage for animals.

• Its grains can be whipped into flour for the making of cookies and other snack items.

• Its leaves are also good feeds for ruminants.

Scientists of the India-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have found that sweet sorghum is a viable alternative for the raw material in producing ethanol.

And the good news is that it also feels at home in Philippine farms, as now proven by research done at the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac, Ilocos Norte.

A brief background of the project:

Early in 2006, President Arroyo personally received at Malacañang from then visiting India President AP Abdul Kalam several kilos of foundation seeds of sweet sorghum developed by ICRISAT.

Immediately thereafter, with funding from the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), MMSU field-tested eight varieties, of which five have been adapted locally.

Former Agricultural Secretary William D. Dar, now ICRISAT director general, reported that the field tests, supervised by MMSU vice president Dr. Heraldo Layaoen, have shown encouraging results.

The average yield was 110 tons per hectare of sweet sorghum cane stalk for two cropping seasons in eight months (one main crop followed by one ratoon crop). (Ratoon is the outgrowth after the main stalk has been cut.)

The yield of sorghum is higher with a much shorter cropping season (one cropping season for sugarcane is 12 months compared to four months of sweet sorghum). It also requires less input and water compared to other bioethanol sources," Dr. Dar said.

The economics of sweet sorghum: The net income for two cropping seasons ranges from P65,000 to P72,000 per hectare.

Dr. Dar concluded: "The commercialization and massive planting of sorghum augurs well for our country, as President Arroyo recently signed into law the Biofuels Act, mandating the use of ethanol-blended gasoline and biodiesel." — Rudy A. Fernandez