Sweet sorghum is practically the perfect raw material and even more so nowadays, its concentration of fermentable juices is practically the same as sugar cane and it requires less land for its production than sugar cane, as it can be planted up to 3 times a year on the same land. Bioethanol can also be produced from grain sorghum, but the most economical and recommendable is sweet sorghum, whose bagasse (megazo-megasse) is used for combustion in boilers.
TECHMI GROUP provides equipment for the production of sugarcane bioethanol, corn bioethanol and sweet sorghum bioethanol and others…
The process of bioethanol production from sweet sorghum involves several stages. Here is a general description:
- Sweet sorghum selection and preparation: Sweet sorghum varieties suitable for bioethanol production are selected. The sorghum is then harvested and crushed to release the starch and sugars present in the grain.
- Milling: The crushed sweet sorghum undergoes a milling process to obtain a fine mass that increases the contact surface with the enzymes during the saccharification stage.
- Saccharification: The ground sorghum mass is mixed with hot water and specific enzymes are added that break down the starches into simple sugars, mainly glucose. This step is crucial for the production of fermentable sugars.
- Fermentation: The solution obtained after saccharification is transferred to fermenters where yeasts or other fermenting microorganisms are added. These microorganisms convert the simple sugars into alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide in a process known as fermentation. During this process, heat is generated and ethanol is produced along with other by-products.
- Distillation: Once fermentation is complete, the solution is distilled to separate the ethanol from the rest of the components of the mixture, such as water and solid residues. Distillation is carried out at controlled temperatures to separate the components according to their boiling points.
- Purification: After distillation, the ethanol undergoes additional purification processes to remove any residual impurities, resulting in a high purity bioethanol.
- Skimming and dehydration: The purified bioethanol can be skimmed to remove any residual water and then dehydrated to increase the ethanol concentration to the desired level, usually around 99% purity.
- Storage and distribution: Once high purity bioethanol is obtained, it is stored in suitable storage tanks and then distributed for use as fuel or in industrial applications.
This general process may vary slightly according to the specific categories used by each bioethanol production plant and local conditions, but it provides a general overview of the bioethanol manufacturing process, which can be exploited in several ways:
- Energy production: Sorghum stalk can be used as fuel in boilers to generate thermal energy. This energy can be used to feed the bioethanol production process or for other industrial purposes.
- Biogas production: Sorghum stalk can also be used for biogas production through anaerobic digestion. In this process, microorganisms break down the organic matter in the stalk into biogas, composed mainly of methane and carbon dioxide. This biogas can be used as fuel to generate electricity or heat.
- Animal feed: Sorghum stalk is sometimes used as feed for livestock, especially after it has undergone processing and nutritional enrichment. The stalk can provide fiber and other nutrients to animals, helping to supplement their diet.
- Production of biodegradable products: Some companies are investigating the possibility of using sorghum stalk as a raw material for the production of biodegradable products, such as containers or packaging materials.
TECHMI GROUP is a supplier of equipment for the production of bioethanol from various raw materials such as sugar cane, corn, sorghum, sweet potato, sugar beet and others…
We can produce from mini formulation plants of 10,000 liters per day to plants of 900,000 liters per day combined with circular economy projects.
TECHMI GROUP has engineering staff and collaborators who have rich experience in fermentation processes and bioethanol production. In addition, we also invite many nationally and internationally renowned experts and academics to act as our technical consultants, to ensure that our products have solid and stable technological foundations. Product innovation and technological leadership are the core parts of our products. Ensuring customer satisfaction is our purpose.
